DCC Homebrews - Ashakhan, God of the Wheel

When a soul sheds its mortal coil, it is bid upon its journey to the next life by Ashakhan. The soul is borne down through the world by a black coach driven by cloaked, skeletal figure. When it reaches its destination, the soul is brought before the Ceaseless Watcher to plead its case. A servitor will produce a scroll that accounts for the soul's complete history, for this life and all those which came before. So too will arrive the petitioners, those servants whose masters have a legal claim on the soul. Ashakhan will oversee the proceedings as arbitrator, and it is his judgement that will determine the soul's ultimate fate.

Before the Ages of Man and the Gods-pact, there was but one eternal truth that governed the mortal races: the Wheel. Souls, endlessly reincarnated, would return to the Source and then be calved free once again as new life rose up, always in an endless and infinite cycle. It was not until the first schism between the Gods that this perpetual cycle was sundered, and souls were not permitted to return to their place of origin. Gods began to hoard souls in an endlessly escalating contest, sealing them away in pocket dimensions known as the Underworlds, or transforming them into new forms that did not return to the Wheel.

Eventually, the Source, known to some as the First Fire and to others as the Tree of Life, began to die. It was in this ancient time that a mortal hero whose name has been forgotten to the mists of time rose up, and blessed by a coalition of Gods from both sides, struck down Nazzarull, the Primordial God of Death. Though not slain, for a God is beyond such things, Nazzarull was forever ejected from her seat on the Pantheon as God of Death, and in her place rose the Ashakhan.

In the Eternal Struggle, Ashakhan remains firmly neutral. Although his methods bear the symbols and mechanisms of Law, it is this determination to mete out the final fate of souls with transparency and detachment that affords him the (often grudging) respect, or least tolerance, from even the powers of Chaos.

All that lives must die - this is the one and only truth in all the Known Realms.

Favored weapon is the scythe.

Special Traits

Lay on Hands

Roll a 1d4 to determine how the ability manifests: (1) the cleric touches the injured area and it becomes immersed in impossibly fine sand which flows clear from the subject, revealing unmarred flesh; (2) the cleric and subject seem to vanish in a cloud of impenetrable magical smoke and dust - when the darkness clears, the injury has been healed; (3) the cleric's eyes turn black and rasps forth a long breath of frigid air which forms into misty skull-faced specters - the specters attend to the injury with bony fingers, sewing the wounds closed with silvery thread before vanishing, revealing the flesh healed; (4) the cleric pushes his hands through the surface of the injured area, her hands and subject alike becoming semi-transparent, revealing underlying muscle, bone and even organs - when the she withdraws the wounds are healed.

Turn Unholy

Ashakhan's hatred of Un-dead means that it is insufficient for his followers to merely turn them away.  When a cleric of Ashakhan successfully uses Turn Unholy on an Un-dead creature and it fails its Willpower save, instead of a 'T' result on the turn table causing them to flee or cower, they are instead stunned for as long as the cleric is able to concentrate and for 1d3 rounds thereafter. The cleric may use one action on each subsequent turn after a successful Turn Unholy attempt, and as long as she is able to do so the Un-dead remain rooted in place as the Underworld reasserts its hold over their twisted souls. Stunned Un-dead may take no action on their initiative, although they are not paralyzed and may still take reactions. The Un-dead do not gain additional saves, so long as the cleric's concentration remains unbroken. Visible threads of silvery light connect the cleric to any Un-dead affected. 

Additionally, if an Un-dead dies for any reason within one round of having been affected by the cleric's Turn Unholy ability, its soul is returned to the Underworlds using the cleric as a conduit. The first time each day that a soul is returned to the Underworlds in this way, the cleric receives a point of Fleeting Luck and heals one hit point. Subsequent souls heal one hit point, but to not provide additional Fleeting Luck until following day.

Divine Favors

Sense Death: Once per day, the cleric may attempt to detect the essence of death in her immediate vicinity. She may accurately detect up to a distance of 50' the location of any corpses or Un-dead and any space in which something has died within the last week. She may estimate how long ago something died within this one week period accurate to the day. This ability cannot determine the nature of corpses or deaths, only their presence and location.

Gentle Repose: By chanting, burning incense and concentrating for one turn the cleric may improve the condition of a corpse and temporarily stave off the effects of rot and decay. This will have the effect of removing minor blemishes and damage and otherwise improve the visible condition of the remains. It will neutralize any smell, and the remains will not begin to naturally decay for a period of one week. A corpse may only be preserved in this way a single time.

Cleric of Ashakhan Titles

Level	Title
1	Witness
2	Watcher
3	Vigilator
4	Arbiter
5	Adjudicator

Disapproval

Ashakhan, though in some respects less demanding than other deities in the explicit terms of his followers day-to-day lives, for those who earn his contempt the cost is suitably unpleasant.

Roll	Disapproval
1	The cleric must appease Ashakhan by contemplating death for an uninterrupted ten minutes at the earliest opportunity (eg. After combat is over).
2	The cleric must swear a solemn oath to a comrade that should they die, she will lay their body to rest in the land of their birth. Should that comrade die, the cleric must immediately convey the body at the earliest opportunity (ie when combat is over) or lose all spellcasting ability until the vow is upheld.
3	The cleric must prove her capabilities to Ashakhan by destroying an Un-dead within the next hour. If she fails to do so, she suffers a -1 penalty to spellcasting until the end of the day.
4	Ashakhan turns his regard from the cleric. For the next day, Lay on Hands is performed with a d16 instead of a d20.
5	Until the cleric performs the last rites for a recent dead, she suffers -2 on spell checks with the spell, ability or canticle that resulted in the disapproval.
6	The cleric must either donate 100 gp worth of items or eight hours of labour as community service dedicated towards funerary rites (ie gravedigging, maintaining burial grounds, stonework or metalwork as it applies to crypts and death works, officiating funerals etc.). The cleric takes a -1 to penalty to all spell checks until the conditions are met.
7	Ashakhan requires a test of faith. For 24 hours the cleric may not use Lay on Hands on herself, although she may continue to use it on others.
8	The cleric immediately incurs a -1d penalty to spell checks on the specific spell that resulted in disapproval (including laying on hands and turning unholy, if those were the acts that produced disapproval). This lasts until the next day.
9	The cleric immediately incurs an additional -2 penalty to all spell checks that lasts until the next day.
10	No magic Is used without consequence! The cast immediately loses the ability to cast one randomly determined spell until the following day.
11	The cleric is ordered to forego her armour. She must either carry it on her back, or before her heaped upon her shield before her like a dinner tray. Every time she rests she may attempt to make a DC 15 Willpower save – a success removes the prohibition. If she has taken any damage that day, she may add a bonus of +1 to this save.
12	The cleric is ordered to perform a pilgrimage to a burial site that contains a minimum of 100 dead within one week, lest they lose all abilities until the pilgrimage is complete.
13	The cleric is disowned by Ashakhan for 1d3 days. During this period the character cannot accumulate XP and may not gain class levels as a cleric. After the time period expires, the character begins to accumulate XP again as normal but does not accrue “back pay” (so to speak) for XP missed while he was disowned.
14	The cleric is immediately whisked away to the Underworlds where Ashakhan and his servitors attend to the souls of the recent dead. She is required to perform the menial task of interviewing and sorting souls for 3d6 hours, after which she is teleported back to the company of her companions, or an appropriate location at Ashakhan’s discretion. When she returns, she is fatigued, suffering -2 to all checks and saves until she is rested.
15	The cleric must immediately begin a fast which will last for a fortnight. Each day of fasting beyond the first reduces the cleric’s Stamina by 1 point but cannot reduce it below 1. These points are regained on the second day after the cleric breaks this fast. If the fast is broken early, the cleric loses all spellcasting abilities until she begins a new fast at the first day.
16	Ashakhan demands that the cleric sacrifice a portion of her living essence for each use of his divine power. Each time the cleric Lays on Hands, Turns Unholy or casts a spell, she suffers 1d8 damage that cannot be healed using any means. This condition lasts for 24 hours.
17	Ashakhan curses the cleric with an unsettling aura of death makes the cleric unsuitable for the company of most normal beings, who will react with fear and potentially violent hostility. The cleric, or any allies of the cleric if she is in their company, suffer a -5 penalty to any rolls made as a result of interactions with NPCs.
18	Ashakhan withdraws his favor from the cleric, granting only a fraction of his power. Until the cleric atones through righteous penance (judge’s discretion) results for any spell checks, including Lay on Hands, or attempts to Turn Unholy will count as one step lower in effects (eg two dice of healing will become one die, one result lower on spell results, et cetera).
19	The cleric must take a vow of silence that lasts for 1d3+1 days. During this period, spellcasting is not possible (however the cleric may continue to Turn Unholy and Lay on Hands as normal).
20	The cleric’s ability to lay on hands is restricted. The ability works only once per day per creature healed – no single character can be healed more than once per day. After 24 hours, the ability’s use reverts to normal.
21+	The cleric dies. She is immediately reduced to 0 hit points and her body (along with all her possessions) dissolves into a cloud of dust and sand. The cleric’s soul is conveyed by the black coach to the Underworlds, where she is required to personally account for her failure. If she is able to convince Ashakhan of her obedience and virtue, she will be returned to the material plane at the dawn of the following day, to a location of Ashakhan’s discretion with full hit points, all of her possessions intact and all disapproval removed. Ashakhan’s patience is formidable, but it is not limitless. If this result is ever rolled a second time over the cleric’s career, no amount of pleading will convince him to change his mind. The cleric’s death is permanent and they may NEVER be raised by any means.

Canticles of Ashakhan

The priesthood of Ashakhan rarely congregate in numbers, and thus the majority of their acts of worship are performed in quiet solitude. Ashakhan's chosen followers take vows of secrecy that prohibit the public display of their most sacred rituals, and so most prayer is performed in meditative silence. Though the secret rituals are manifold, it is predominantly through performing the chosen death rites of others that a cleric of Ashakhan demonstrates her faith. A cleric of Ashakhan is granted the following canticles to aid in her spiritual journey:

Level 1: Glimpse of Destiny

Clerics of Ashakhan are blessed with brief glimpses of their own final fate, granting them a clarity of purpose in life few other mortals can lay claim to. As the cleric's mind becomes accustomed to this new awareness of their own ultimate end, they become relentless adversaries and steadfast friends. Despite this clairvoyance, the wise would recognize that while the glimpses are always true, they are often difficult to interpret, and this blessing is no excuse to recklessly invite a careless doom.

Cleric Level	Glimpse Effect
1-3	Immune to normal fear, +1 to Willpower saves, rolls 1d16 for Luck check to survive when body is rolled over
4-6	Immune to normal and magical fear, +2 to Willpower saves, +1 AC, rolls 1d14 for Luck check to survive when body is rolled over
7+	Immune to normal and magical fear, +3 to Willpower saves, +2 AC, rolls 1d12 for Luck check to survive when body is rolled over

Level 3: Soul Recall

TBD - temporarily allow a former incarnation of your soul to resurface, granting skill training and possibly class abilities

Level 5: Timelessness

TBD - reworking of an AD&D tome of magic spell that allows the cleric to isolate a target from time for a period, freezing them in time and making them totally invulnerable. The target area grows with greate spell checks.