The Gala
Brief History:
The world was full of pain and suffering. After the Primals drove out the dragons, the mortals were still suffering. They were used to war and a constant struggle to survive. The Gala decided that the mortals deserved a little light in their lives. She taught a few followers how to enjoy the peaceful life. She also encouraged them to spread the love throughout the rest of the newly civilized world.
Before long, the Gala's rites and rituals were being practiced across the lands. However, she soon saw that other celebrations that she hadn't taught. Celebrations that someone else had taught the mortals, or maybe the mortals had taught themselves. The Gala was delighted in whichever the case was and wished to see all the ways the mortals had learned how to enjoy their newfound freedom. She encouraged her followers to learn these new dances, songs, and cuisines and to spread them to other cultures all across Choradesa.
While the Gala does recognize that all cultures are sacred, some are just too dangerous to be mingled with. Some areas dominated by the Primals have sworn vengence against the civilized areas for changing the world so much. Some of the cults that follow the Outsiders have destablized the perfectly peaceful settlements that the Divines have sworn to protect. These societies should regarded with caution as they do not have the best interest of the people at heart.
The Gala had always had a soft spot for birds. They fly around free and happy all the time. Such energy that cannot be contained is so charming to her.
Power Investiture
Power Investiture 1 (Acolyte): Both- Musical Instrument (IQ-2), First-Aid (IQ), or Esoteric Medicine (Divine) (Per-2) [1]
- Vow (Acceptance) [-5], or Charitable: CR 15 at most [-7]
- Musical Instrument (IQ+1), First-Aid (IQ+3), or Esoteric Medicine (Divine) (Per+1) [8]
- Musical Instrument (IQ+5), First-Aid (IQ+7), or Esoteric Medicine (Divine) (Per+5) [24]
- Vow (Acceptance) [-5]
- Vow (Charity) [-10]
- Musical Instrument (IQ+9), First-Aid (IQ+11), or Esoteric Medicine (Divine) (Per+9) [40]
Vow (Acceptance): To accept other culutural values and not to impose your own on theirs. [-5]
Vow (Charity): Cannot profit from those worse off than you. [-10]
Spells
To buy spells, you must have the appropriate Power Investiture level. To use spells, you need to be in at least a Low Sanctity area and have a Holy Symbol of the Gala in your hand or inscribed to your weapon, shield, or armor.
Acolyte:
- Minor Healing: Restore a small amount of missing Hit Points.
- Continual Light: Cause a light to emit from an object.
- Ambidexterity: Grants the user the ability to use their off hand without any penalties.
- Colors: Changest the color of any light. This is permanent on Continual Light.
- Dye: Changes the color of any unliving material as desired by the caster (hair counts as unliving for this spell).
- Musical Scribe: Animates a pen, which records in musical notation any tune that the caster humbs, sings, or plays on an instrument.
- Sense Emotion: Know what emotions the subject is feeling at the moment.
- Season: Spices and seasons a single meal to the caster's preference. A better cooking skill is needed to determine wheather the food tastes any better for it.
Cleric:
- Major Healing: Restore a large amount of missing Hit Points.
- Grace: Temporarily increase target's DX.
- Reflexes: Grants the target Combat Reflexes.
- Resist Pain: Target becomes temporarily immune to pain effects including stunning, shock penalties, low health penalties, etc.
- Drunkenness: Makes the victim temporarily intoxicated, reducing their IQ and DX.
- Mature: Causes any foodstuff that must age and mature as part of its production to do so more quickly.
- Purify Food: Removes foreign objects, poisons, and decay, making the food fit to eat.
- Sleep: The subject falls asleep.
Champion:
- Cure Disease: Eliminate one type of Disease after a successful Diagnosis roll or some other way to identify the disease.
- Great Healing: Restore a all missing Hit Points.
- Healing Slumber: Subject falls into a deep restorative sleep and heals over the duration.
- Neutralize Poison: Eliminate all traces of one chosen Poison after a successful Diagnosis roll to identify it.
- Restoration: Regain the use of one crippled limb.
- Essential Food: Transforms food, or any other material, into unbelievably good, filling, and nutritious food.
- Ecstasy: The subject feels an incapacitating rush of pleasure.
- Sunlight: Make an area illuminated as if it were outside during the day for a short time.
Zealot:
- Regeneration: Regrow one lost limb or eye.
- Resurrection: Brings the subject back to life! Final Rest prevents this.
- Mass Sleep: As Sleep, but over an area.
- Sunlight: Make an area illuminated as if it were outside during the day for a long time.
Powers
These are advantages that you can buy because of your devotion to your diety.
- A Song and Dance (M): Can buy all Song Packages [0]
The Gala, being a Celestial that enjoys her parties, finds music to be a very important block of life. You are able to buy packages from any Celestial that requires a Singing or Musical Instrument skill at 14+. Any Power Investiture level requirements would instead require the same level of Power Investiture (The Gala). Also, instead of the essence you would normally get from the package, it is an equal amount of Gala Essence. If the package has any other requirements, they must still be met normally.Requires Power Investiture 1 (The Gala) - Heart of Gold (M): Higher Purpose + Gala Essence 1 [4]
Whenever you are attempting to aid someone in danger, all die rolls are increased by 1. This means any skill or Strength rolls to free people, any Active Defenses you perform when attempting to reach someone who's been hurt, attempts to Sacrificial Dodge, etc. are all at +1. Attacks and Damage rolls to free someone from a Binding or Grapple are at +1. Even when using First-Aid to heal, the skill roll and the roll to determine how much is healed is at +1. The GM has the final say in whether a roll is affected. This does not stack with other forms of Higher Purpose.Requires Power Investiture 3 (The Gala) - Break a Leg 1 (P): Recovery + Regrowth (Minor) + Gala Essence 6 [24]
You are able to recover completely from most fights. If you lose an ear, finger, toe, or any other small, insignificatn part, you grow it back in 1d weeks. You can also recover from unconciousness at a much faster rate. If you are ever knocked out for any reason, divide the time you are asleep by 60 and use that number instead. This does not affect the need for sleep. You will still need a full 8 hours per day unless otherwise noted.If you are able to heal yourself fully using Soothing Melody, all of your missing features return when you reach full HP.Requires Power Investiture 3 (The Gala)|v - Break a Leg 2 (P): Recovery + Regrowth + Gala Essence 10 [40]
You are able to recover completely from any fight you can walk away from. If you lose an ear, finger, toe, or any other small, insignificant part, you grow it back in 1d weeks. Hands or feet are grown in 1d+1 months. Eyes, arms, and legs take 2d+2 months. You can also recover from unconciousness at a much faster rate. If you are ever knocked out for any reason, divide the time you are asleep by 60 and use that number instead. This does not affect the need for sleep. You will still need a full 8 hours per day unless otherwise noted.If you are able to heal yourself fully using Soothing Melody, all of your missing features return when you reach full HP.Requires Power Investiture 3 (The Gala)
- Flexible Defenses 1 (P): Damage Resistance 2 (Cannot Wear Armor + Stylized 1) + Gala Essence 2 [9]
You can take a Ready Manuever to manifest a weightless suit of leather armor that doesn't hinder your movement at all. This gives you +2 DR all over as much of your body as you'd like to protect (except the eyes). This armor is also stylish and gives a +1 on all reaction rolls if you are wearing it. If you are wearing any armor when you try to activate this ability, the armor is absorbed into your body, negating its enchantments and DR, but not its weight (any "cursed" armor remains and just displaces the manifested armor). This armor cannot be removed at all and takes a Ready Maneuver to dismiss, replacing any armor you were previously wearing.Requires Power Investiture 2 (The Gala) - Flexible Defenses 2 (P): Damage Resistance 4 (Cannot Wear Armor + Stylized 2) + Gala Essence 4 [18]
You can take a Ready Manuever to manifest a weightless suit of scale armor that doesn't hinder your movement at all. This gives you +4 DR all over as much of your body as you'd like to protect (except the eyes). This armor is also stylish and gives a +2 on all reaction rolls if you are wearing it. If you are wearing any armor when you try to activate this ability, the armor is absorbed into your body, negating its enchantments and DR, but not its weight (any "cursed" armor remains and just displaces the manifested armor). This armor cannot be removed at all and takes a Ready Maneuver to dismiss, replacing any armor you were previously wearing. You may make this look like leather armor but keep the DR and Reaction Roll modifier if you wish.Requires Power Investiture 3 (The Gala) - Flexible Defenses 3 (P): Damage Resistance 6 (Cannot Wear Armor + Stylized 3) + Gala Essence 6 [27]
You can take a Ready Manuever to manifest a weightless suit of plate armor that doesn't hinder your movement at all. This gives you +6 DR all over as much of your body as you'd like to protect (except the eyes). This armor is also stylish and gives a +3 on all reaction rolls if you are wearing it. If you are wearing any armor when you try to activate this ability, the armor is absorbed into your body, negating its enchantments and DR, but not its weight (any "cursed" armor remains and just displaces the manifested armor). This armor cannot be removed at all and takes a Ready Maneuver to dismiss, replacing any armor you were previously wearing. You may make this look like leather or scale armor but keep the DR and Reaction Roll modifier if you wish.Requires Power Investiture 4 (The Gala) - Rescuer (P): Payload 50 (Exposed + Accessiblility: Dead, Wounded, or Unconcious People) + Gala Essence 2 [8]
You are able to lift the bodies of dead, wounded, or unconcious people with ease. Whenever carrying someone this way, they do not count towards your encumberance at all (intentionally wounding someone just so you can carry them does not count). Take care you don't hurt the person more than they already are. This package may be bought a second time to carry a second body, but it cannot be bought more than twice.Requires Power Investiture 2 (The Gala) - One More Dance (M): Extra Life + Gala Essence 5 [20/Life]
When you fail a Death Roll, you die as you normally would. However after a couple of days at the next party your friends attend, they will find you dancing away like nothing happened.Your new character will be a full HP copy of your previous. If you have missing limbs, eyes, digits, etc. and enough unspent character points, you may buy off these disadvantages now.When you use this advantage, you use up the extra life and it must be bought again. If you have already reached 50 Gala Essence, you may still purchase the package for 20 points, but you do not apply any more Essense Disadvantages because of it.Requires Power Investiture 3 (The Gala) - Natural Resistance 1 (P): Resistant: Disease (+3 to HT Rolls) + Gala Essence 1 [4]
Your body gains a great immune system. You gain a +3 to resist any and all diseases that attempt to plague you.Requires Power Investiture 2 (The Gala) - Natural Resistance 2 (P): Resistant: Disease (+8 to HT Rolls) + Gala Essence 1 [6]
You have an incredible immune system! You gain a +8 to resist any and all diseases that attempt to plague you.Requires Power Investiture 3 (The Gala) - Natural Resistance 3 (P): Resistant: Metabolic Hazards (Immunity) + Gala Essence 3 [12]
You are completely immune to any kind of infection. You don't even have to roll to resist any pathogens.Requires Power Investiture 4 (The Gala) - Soothing Melody (M): Affliction (Regeneration: 1 HP/Hour + Beneficial Song + Doesn't Require Concentration) + Gala Essence 10 [38]
You sing, hum, play your instrument, etc. to activate this ability. Anyone of your choice who comes within 2 yards of you may succeed a Perception roll (the target has a bonus equal to your Power Investiture level) to be affected. Those affected will heal 1 HP of injury after an hour.You must be playing music or singing the entire time, but the person does not need to remain in earshot. This also does not require a Concentrate Maneuver, so if you need to do other things, you can just be humming a tune or playing a small instrument with your free hand. Once the hour has passed, they must come near you again (or have remained near you the entire time) in order to be healed again.Requires Power Investiture 1 (The Gala) and Singing or Musical Instrument skill of 14+ - Phantom Fiddle (M): Compartmentalized Mind (Musical Packages Only) + Gala Essence 10 [30]
You may take a Ready Maneuver to throw an instrument in the air and have if float around and play music as if you were playing it. This allows you to use any package that requires you to play music without removing your ability to do anything else. The instrument can also float around on its own at a Move of 5. It has a DR of 1 and HP of 5. If it is reduced to 0 HP, it will stop playing whatever music it had going. If reduced to -1xHP or lower, the instrument is destroyed.Requires Power Investiture 3 (The Gala) and Singing or Musical Instrument skill of 14+ - Drunken Master 1 (M): Striking ST 4 (Only while Tipsy) + Obscure 2 (Only while Tipsy + Defensive) + Enhanced Parry 1 (Only while Tipsy) + No Hangover + Gala Essence 8 [28]
You have incredible control of your alcohol. When you drink, you seem to stumble around in a way that makes it very difficult to hit you. If you are Tipsy, you take the normal -1 to DX, IQ, and their respective skills, but attacks you make are at +4 effective ST, attacks against you are at a -2, and your Parry is increased by 1.You have great control over your ability to metabolize alcohol. Instead of having to wait the entire hour and then make a roll to determine if you become tipsy or drunk, you may elect to instantly shift up the intoxication chain (sober to tipsy or tipsy to drunk) once you've had ST/4 drinks. You will also never suffer hangovers the next day.Requires Power Investiture 2 (The Gala) - Drunken Master 2 (M): Striking ST 4 (Only while Drunk) + Obscure 4 (Only while Drunk + Defensive) + Enhanced Parry 2 (Only while Drunk) + No Hangover + Gala Essence 12 [60]
You have incredible control of your alcohol. When you drink, you seem to stumble around in a way that makes it very difficult to hit you. If you are Drunk, you take the normal -2 to DX, IQ, and their respective skills, but attacks you make are at +8 effective ST, attacks against you are at -4, and your Parry is increased by 2.You have great control over your ability to metabolize alcohol. Instead of having to wait the entire hour and then make a roll to determine if you become tipsy or drunk, you may elect to instantly shift up the intoxication chain (sober to tipsy or tipsy to drunk) once you've had ST/4 drinks. You will also never suffer hangovers the next day.You gain the benefites of Drunken Master 1 while Tipsy, and the benefits of Drunken Master 2 while Drunk.Requires Power Investiture 3 (The Gala) - Jaunty Tune 1 (M): Affliction (DX-Based Skills 1 + Beneficial Song) + Gala Essence 8 [35]
You may make a Concentrate Maneuver to sing or play your instrument and activate this ability. Anyone of your choice who comes within 2 yards of you must succeed a Perception roll (the target has a bonus equal to your Power Investiture level). Those that pass gain a +1 bonus to all DX-based skills while you are Concentrating.Anyone who passes the roll is under its effects until you stop playing, a minute has passed, or they are knocked unconcious. If any of these happen, they may attempt another Perception roll the next time they enter the radius of the ability. If you stop for any reason then restarts the ability, anyone who successfully passed must make the Perception roll again.Requires Power Investiture 2 (The Gala) and Singing, Dancing, or Musical Instrument skill of 14+ - Jaunty Tune 2 (M): Affliction (DX-Based Skills 2 + Beneficial Song) + Gala Essence 8 [35]
You may make a Concentrate Maneuver to sing or play your instrument and activate this ability. Anyone of your choice who comes within 2 yards of you must succeed a Perception roll (the target has a bonus equal to your Power Investiture level). Those that pass gain a +1 bonus to all DX-based skills while you are Concentrating.Anyone who passes the roll is under its effects until you stop playing, a minute has passed, or they are knocked unconcious. If any of these happen, they may attempt another Perception roll the next time they enter the radius of the ability. If you stop for any reason then restarts the ability, anyone who successfully passed must make the Perception roll again.Requires Power Investiture 3 (The Gala) and Singing, Dancing, or Musical Instrument skill of 16+ - Wings of Mercy (P): Flight (Winged + Cannot Hover) + Gala Essence 6 [18]
You may take a Ready maneuver to unfurl a set of wings from your back (this will come out through your armor). This gives you the ability to fly at 2xBasic Move.Requires Power Investiture 3 (The Gala)
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Essence Disadvantages
Followers who gain Gala Essence begin to look more like the denizens of the Gala's Realm. Their scales, fur, or feathers become very colorful with rich jewel colors which might change day to day. Flowers and ivy may also start to appear on them and may even weave itself into wreaths at higher levels of Gala Essence. Small birds will be comfortable in your presence and may perch on you if you're sitting still enough.
Every 5 points of Gala Essence gives others a +1 to a Religion roll to identify the celestial you follow. Coreligionists will react to you at +1 per 5 points of Gala Essence (max +5) and people opposed to your religion will react to you at -1 per 5 points of Gala Essence (max -5).
Every 10 ranks of Gala Essence requires you to take a rank of one of the disadvantages below.
| Disadvantage | Description |
|---|---|
| Dependeny (XXXXX) This can only be taken 3 times |
You must spend take a dose of XXXXX which is a drug imported from the realm of the Gala. This Disadvantage comes in 3 ranks:
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| Dependents (Less Fortunate) This can only be taken 2 times |
People seem to need help. Some people know you're more than happy to. Occasionally, people will bring you their children to take care of while they go to work. Sometimes you'll find a hurt and abandoned animal that needs tending. For the duration of the session, you must take care of this dependent. It can move slightly and can be stashed in a safe place if you think a fight is going to start, but it must stay safe. At the end of the session, the dependent will be returned to their original caretaker no matter your situation:
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| Chummy This can only be taken 2 times |
You have trouble falling asleep. You occasionally take long-term fatigue damage that can only be recovered with a full night's rest. This affects you every 3d days (2d-1 if taken a second time). The GM rolls this number in secret. |
| Xenophilia This can only be taken 1 time |
You don't trust anyone except close friends easily. You treat everyone else with suspicion and distrust. Most people don't really like this and treat you at -2. |
| Major Delusion (Everybody's Good Inside) This can only be taken 1 time |
You absolutely believe that everyone is good at heart. If you see anyone doing something "bad" or "evil", you must attempt to excuse the behavior somehow (the bandits are just trying to feed their kids, the king might be using those obscene taxes to support their people, that assassin might be trying to target the corrupt king who's overtaxing their residence). You can still try to stop the people from doing the "bad" thing or kill them if it is absolutely necessary, but you have to give them the benefit of the doubt. People who don't see the world the same way as you will react to you at -2. |
Blessed Items
These are standard items that you might find for sale in a temple of The Earth Shaper. They are not Enchantable however.
- The Gala's Holy Symbol (Basic): 5 SP ($50) 0.1lbs
- The Gala's Holy Symbol (Small): 25 SP ($250) 0.25lbs
- The Gala's Holy Symbol (Medium): 1 EP ($1,000) 0.5lbs
- The Gala's Holy Symbol (Large): 4 EP ($4,000) 1lb
- The Gala's Holy Symbol (Grand): 16 EP ($16,000) 5lbs
A small talisman inscribed with a bird in flight that is made of wood, stone, or metal. Holding this object in your hand allows you to cast spells gained from following the Gala, but does nothing else.
A small talisman inscribed with a bird in flight that increases the Sanctity Level of a person holding it to Low Sanctity Level if you are in a No Sanctity area. An appropriate Religious Ritual roll can be made to increase the Sanctity further.
A medium talisman inscribed with a bird in flight that increases the Sanctity Level of a person holding it by 1 level up to a maximum of Normal Sanctity. An appropriate Religious Ritual roll can be made to increase the Sanctity further.
A large talisman inscribed with a bird in flight that increases the Sanctity Level of a person holding it by 1 level up to a maximum of High Sanctity. An appropriate Religious Ritual roll can be made to increase the Sanctity further.
A large talisman inscribed with a bird in flight that increases the Sanctity Level of a person holding it by 2 levels up to a maximum of Very High Sanctity. An appropriate Religious Ritual roll can be made to increase the Sanctity further.
