5 Patrons for Knave 2e’s Relic Magic
A barebones list of patrons, with examples for relics, missions and boons.
Everything about the setting and the patrons themselves is just barely implied.
Inspiration: local folklore from the valleys and mountains around my home; European and African myths; the languages of wizards.
Rova, protector of pilgrims and peddlers
Domains: travellers, kindness, persistence
Relics
- A smooth cobblestone, polished by the steps of thousands, taken from the road to a sacred religious site.
- An oft mended traveler coat, worn by a priest during a lifelong pilgrimage.
- A blessed splinter from the mast of the ship of a great explorer.
Missions
- Climb the 10.000 steps to the Peak of the Widow. Leave an offering of fresh fruit and bread at the foot of the statue of the Widowed Saint.
- Reignite the flame of the abandoned lighthouse on the Lonely Cliff in the Sea of Mists.
- Safeguard the Head Priestess’ daughter in her travel to the sanctuary at the heart of the Great Wood.
Boons
- The food in your backpack never spoils, the water you drink through your cupped hands is always pure.
- Speak the language of roads and rivers. They know about travelers, weather, and obstacles along the path.
- You always have a gold coin in your pocket when you need it for charity, or to repay a kindness.
Re di Biss, the slitherer
Domains: snakes, affliction, ruthlessness
Relics
- A stone pendant representing a toad with an egg in its mouth.
- The black and shriveled hand of a flint hearted priest, severed at the wrist and dangling from a rope.
- A live snake, white as snow, with smooth black marbles for eyes.
Missions
- Assassinate the head priestess of the cult of Rova.
- Infect the Hearth of Thorns with the blood of the last unicorn of the vale.
- Poison the roots of the Mother Tree at the heart of the Great Wood.
Boons
- When a snake bites you, absorb its venom and make it yours. You can bite or kiss to deliver its effects. The victim has to pass a CON save against your CHA.
- Your touch spoils food, rots wood, rusts metal, makes mildew blossom. Soft materials deteriorate in 11 - CHA minutes, hard materials take 11 - CHA hours.
- CHA times per day, you can turn into a writhing mass of non-venomous snakes.
Luv Ravas, soul of the woods
Domains: wilderness, frenzy, moonlight
Relics
- A recurve dagger made from the tusk of a giant boar.
- A rough and thick long coat sewn from the skins of one hundred beasts.
- A glint of moonlight caught in an uncut gemstone.
Missions
- Drive away the lumberjacks encroaching on the Great Wood.
- Destroy the dam that’s blocking the flow of the Silver Streak river through the valley.
- Navigate the Bristle Maze to the Heart of Thorns. Put an end to its unchecked growth.
Boons
- While running on all four, ignore any natural difficult terrain: thorns can’t pierce you, and your footing is sure on ice or mud.
- Under the moonlight you can see as well as during the day.
- When defending a natural site from the forces of civilization, for CHA rounds of combat, you can power attack with a broken weapon and still deal double damage
Taranis, the rain dancer
Domains: spring rains, dancing, courage
Relics
- Castanets that sound like a pleasant rain shower.
- A large folding fan, embroidered with nymphs dancing in the rain.
- A bow made from a green wood branch, and silver tipped arrow shaped like raindrops.
Missions
- Take an hair from the mane of the last unicorn of the vale. Use it to restring the great harp at the temple.
- Recover the stolen harvest from the High Road brigands.
- Expose and denounce the members of the hidden cult of Re di Biss.
Boons
- Perform a ritual dance outdoors lasting 11 - CHA hours to invoke a light shower in CHA + 1 kilometers radius, lasting CHA + 1 days.
- While it’s raining, you can hear the echoes of any movement reverberating through the drops in 10 meters around you, plus 10 meters for each point of CHA.
- You always move with the grace of a dancer, recovering from apparent blunders with a smile and a flourish. You cannot be tripped, pushed, or disarmed.
Sarvant, the lucky fellow
Domains: luck, wine, jolly knaves
Relics
- A rusty corkscrew with a wine stained wooden handle shaped like a bull’s head.
- A shiny golden coin, weighted so that it always lands on tail when tossed.
- An half empty bottle of wine, house to a chatty drunken mouse.
Missions
- Help the leader of the High Road brigands escape her hanging.
- Steal the hoarded wine from the royal cellars, and gift it to the oppressed people of the reign.
- Show the incompetence of the city guard, umiliating the corrupt sheriff.
Boons
- You can treat any improvised object as an effective weapon, with properties appropriate to its shape, size and weight.
- Use your CHA instead of WIS when throwing knives or other sharp implements.
- CHA times per day you can open a lock just by tapping on it.