Skip to main content

Indie game storeFree gamesFun gamesHorror games
Game developmentAssetsComics
SalesBundles
Jobs
TagsGame Engines

The Minion (Warlock-inspired class)

A topic by Martin Nerurkar created May 22, 2024 Views: 61 Replies: 2
Viewing posts 1 to 3
Host (2 edits)

If you've caught the office hours you might have seen me work on a goblin class: the Minion!

Inspired by the warlock D&D class this goblin has a close tall-person friend! Their gifts give them strange and eerie powers. Which might be the gifts themselves or just because the goblin is a little goth and looks at the world through a lens darkly.

Here's the current Draft! I'd love to get some insight and feedback on it!

Goblin Errands - Minion

Inspired by the Warlock class

You are eerie and gifted. A powerful being has taken an interest in you, adopting you, becoming your friend. Now their gifts help you twist reality, while your companionship gives them strength in return.

Starting Feats

Master's Secrets

Spend the Focus to introduce a secret fact that is relevant to the story. Explain its consequences and why and how your patron confided this to you.

Mother is Helping / Calling the Cavalry

Spend the Focus to let your patron know about an obstacle or challenge in your way. They will personally intervene to remove the obstacle but their influence or presence adds a truly big complication to your errand.

You can roll normally, and even if you fail, you succeed but with a big complication

Melodramatic

Add +1 to your Mouth stat.

Friendship is Power

Spend the Focus and explain how one of your patron's gifts lets you do one of the following:

  • Obscure a fact or object
  • Tempt someone

Who is your mysterious friend and patron:

A neurotic dragon, a regular ol' grandma, an overtaxed sorcerer or a bored demon. Pick one and give them a name or come up with your own.

What gift have they given you:

You start each errand with a gift from your Patron: The crown of darkness, tome of secrets, chains of temptation, socks of fate, or mask of hunger. Pick one or come up with your own.

Advanced Feats

Sinister Aura

You start each errand with another gift. Spend the Focus and wear one of your gifts to create an aura that:

  • makes people stay away from you
  • makes people want to be close to you

Puppet Master

You start each errand with another gift. Spend the Focus or consume one of your gifts to

  • briefly bring an inanimate object to life
  • manipulate shadows or dim a light source

Beguiling Influence

You start each errand with another gift. Spend the Focus or give away one of your gifts to

  • gain insight into the surface thoughts and immediate desires of someone nearby
  • make someone briefly ignore the rules and limits imposed on them by others

Grown Alike

When you help another goblin in an action, you can express an aspect of your patron. The acting goblin can upgrade all stumbles without complications but you suffer one of your patron's limitations for a while.

Impish Little Helpers

You can consume a gift to summon a small number of helpers from your patron's domain. They will come and either open up a new pathway or block an existing one.

Phone Home

Once per errand you can call your patron for insight and ask them three questions. The TP will answer and help you understand things a goblin might otherwise not. For each question gain +1 dice on one appropriate risk roll.

Sinister Bargain

When you fulfill someone's immediate desires or give away one of your gifts, they either owe you a favor or become a friend to goblins.

Glib

Add +1 to your Mouth stat

Astute

Add +1 to your Eyes stat

Submitted

There's a bit of darkness in this one.  I like it.

I especially like the "Mother is Helping / Calling the Cavalry" Feat.  I can see that adding some interesting twists to the story.  I wonder what other similar feats could be devised which are relatively benign but create bumps along the way - the over-powered friend who is not subtle, discrete, or all that accurate in their help.

Would the minions be the occasional accidental/on purpose guinea-pig for some of the patrons experiments?  Growth potions, etc?

Host (1 edit)

Possibly! I actually envision the relationship between minion and patron to be a genuine friendship. It's just that the minion is pretty goth and frames everything in sinister ways. Warlocks want to be edgelords after all. For example the Crown of Darkness from the ol' Grandma could just be a nice beanie. 

That said, I don't think this idea comes across that well in the text as is.