Consulting the Stars

The Signs of the Zodiac

Frankly, I’ve always been a little surprised that this kind of thing isn’t more mainstream in the world of D&D. I mean, sure, the idea has been dabbled in before, but there’s never been much (if anything?) in the core 3 books of any edition.

Having said that, I know of many home games that have used a birth-sign or astrology mechanic of some kind.

My group is no different.

For my campaign, I decided to use the standard astrological Zodiac we all know and love. There were several considerations in this regard, but mostly I wanted familiarity. Everybody knows the signs, and most people know their own sign and those of a few people around them, Whether accurate or not, these assumptions of character and personality traits can really help flesh out a PC. It also provides a lot of roleplaying cues and essentially a guide for how interactions with others might go down.

The second consideration was somewhat rules-related. In the campaign in question, we were running Against the Giants; a notoriously brutal series of modules and complimentary material that sees the PCs facing down groups of giants that number in the dozens. What this means is that the characters take regular, severe wallops from expert wallop-ministers. A zodiac comes with a cool power. Players see another way to kick ass. DMs see the truth; it’s an excuse to hit the PCs harder. 

The short version is that I’m concerned about survivability; I intend to pull no punches with the monsters and the battles, so the players are going to need all the help they can get.

What follows is the list of signs and associated powers I allowed my players to choose from (but most opted to roll randomly on a d12)

1. Pisces- 1x/day (or by spending an Action Point) you spend a Move-Equivalent action to imbue your next melee attack with 1d6 Cold damage per 5 HD. If the attack misses, the use of the power is wasted. CL equal to your HD.
2. Aquarius- 1x/day (or by spending an Action Point) you may cast Call Lightning as the spell. CL equal to your HD.
3. Capricorn- you gain Acid resistance 5
4. Aries- 3x/day (or by spending an Action Point) you may make an Extreme Effort; 1-5 HD +2, 5-10 HD +4, 11-15 HD +6, 16-20 HD +8, 21 or more HD +10
5. Taurus -you gain stability as the dwarf racial trait of the same name; this bonus stacks with stability if you are a dwarf, or have gained the ability from another source.
6. Gemini -1x/day (or by spending an Action Point) you spend a Move-Equivalent action to imbue your next melee attack with 1d6 Electrical damage per 5 HD. If the attack misses, the use of the power is wasted. CL equal to your HD.
7. Sagittarius -1x/day (or by spending an Action Point) you may cast Produce Flame as the spell. CL equal to your HD.
8. Virgo -1x/day (or by spending an Action Point) you may cast Fox’s Cunning as the spell. CL equal to your HD.
9. Leo -1x/day (or by spending an Action Point) you may cast Eagle’s Splendor as the spell. CL equal to your HD.
10. Cancer -1x/day (or by spending an Action Point) you may cast Water Breathing as the spell. CL equal to your HD.
11. Libra -you gain 2 extra skill points whenever you level up.
12. Scorpio -1x/day (or by spending an Action Point) you spend a Move-Equivalent action to imbue your next melee attack with 1d6 Fire damage per 5 HD. If the attack misses, the use of the power is wasted. CL equal to your HD.

What If My Group Uses This Zodiac?

Maybe the flavor of the Chinese Zodiac suits your group better. Could be that you play a samurai (or some other foreigner) and want your sign to be different than the traditional signs the other PCs have. Might also be that you’re running an Oriental Adventures campaign. We got your solution, right here.

1. Snake -you gain +4 on all Fortitude Saves against poison (both magical and mundane)
2. Dragon -you gain a permanent +2 bonus to Charisma*
3. Rabbit -you gain an extra feat at level 1
4. Tiger -your unarmed melee attacks deal +1 damage
5. Ox -you gain 1 additional HP whenever you level up
6. Rat -you gain a permanent +2 bonus to Dexterity*
7. Pig -you gain a permanent +2 bonus to Constitution*
8. Dog -you gain a permanent +2 bonus to Strength*
9. Rooster -you gain a +2 on all Saves against spells that target you
10. Monkey -you gain +4 on all Will Saves to resist Illusions
11. Goat/Sheep -you gain +1 on all Saves
12. Horse -you gain +2 on all Fortitude Saves (stacks with Great Fortitude)

*Should you ever behave dishonorably, the spirits which lent you this power turn their backs on you and take it away until you have atoned. It’s up to DMs to enforce this caveat in whatever way best suits your campaign and gaming group.

But We Use Lunar Auspices, Not Zodiacs!

Don’t worry, we’ve got that covered, too. As previously mentioned, the PCs in my Against the Giants campaign needed extra padding, so I allowed them to determine the lunar auspices of their birth. Of course, each different possible outcome (various phases of the moon) grants a different power. You can roll a d8 or just pick one you like.

1. New Moon -you gain +1 to the Ability core of your choice
2. Waning Crescent -you gain a +1 circumstance bonus on all Initiative rolls
3. Third Quarter -your melee attacks deal +1 damage
4. Waning Gibbous -you gain +1 to your natural armor; if you do not have natural armor, you gain: natural armor 1
5. Full Moon -you gain +1 HP whenever you level up
6. Waxing Gibbous -you gain +1 Skill Point whenever you level up
7. First Quarter -you gain +1 on all Saves
8. No Moon -your ranged attacks deal +1 damage

 

By all means, take these and use them, abuse them, change them to your liking, whatever is cool. Just make sure you enjoy!

-L. Doderman (chess champion AND pseudo-astrologer)

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