The Currency Conspiracy is a cabal of lunar entities that aim to control the world through wealth and trade for their unknown ends. They promote the use of currency among societies and encourage trade routes to spread it far and wide, secretly replacing coinage with tiny mimics, who lay in wait until their time to rise.
Wizards who attempt to draw power with the moon will sometimes find themselves in contact with the Cabal, and become tempted by the promise of status, wealth, and power. After only just a little buy-in, of course...
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| It's not a pyramid scheme, we swear. |
Replace mention of "gold coins" with whatever coin standard your game uses, like copper, silver, etc.
Starting Equipment: Ominous notebook, flat golden coin with a triangle engraved on it (which acts as your insignia), pen with unlimited ink, hooked dagger (light), spiked mask.
Perk: You can spend 50 gold to add +1 to the [sum] of any spell you cast (decided immediately after you roll). The coins melt into nothing before your eyes. You can burn as much gold as you want at once.
Drawback: You start the game 9999 gold in debt to your lunar benefactors. This was the cost of your induction, and they expect weekly contributions of 100 gold or more. At the end of each week, the remaining debt gains 1% interest (multiply by 1.01), rounding to the nearest gold. Once you've paid this off, you've been assured that you will start making a lot of money.
Cantrips:
- You can count the number of objects in a pile instantly, up to 10,000.
- You can instantly teleport your insignia coin back to your hand, and cause it to awaken as a mimic, or return to its slumber (you do not control it when it is awakened).
- You can throw any metal into a portal and have it redirected to the coffers of the Cabal. Doing this with coins or valuable metal objects lowers your debt.
Spells:
- Loan
Range: Touch or 30'. Target: N/A or [dice] creatures. Duration: Permanent.
Instantly summon [sum] * 20 gold coins from the coffers of the cabal. They shimmer iridescently for a few minutes. This increases the debt you owe by the amount you summoned. The coins appear wrapped in wax-paper, 100 coins to a slot. You may instead fling loose coins as you summon them, up to [dice] targets within 30' must Save or be knocked off their footing by a flying cloud of money. These summoned coins cannot be used for your weekly payments. - Identify
Range: Touch. Target: Object you are touching. Duration: N/A
With 1MD, learn the value of target object to the nearest gold coin. With 2MD, also learn any magical properties it has, as well as what group/kind of people would pay most for it. With 3MD, also learn if the object is cursed, blessed, or otherwise enchanted, as well as which specific individual would pay most for it. With 4MD, also learn the identity of the previous owner of the object. With 5MD, also learn the previous owner's exact location. - Copper to Poison
Range: Touch. Target: Copper you are touching. Duration: [dice] days.
Transform [sum] slots of copper into an equivalent number of doses of green, crystalline, water-soluble poison. A dose of this poison fills a slot, dissolves in a cup of water, and does 1d6 damage to anything that drinks it per dose, save for half. The poison lasts [dice] days before losing its color and potency. - Crypticise
Range: Touch. Target: Written text. Duration: Permanent
Turn a piece of text you can touch into a simple cipher you know the solution to. With 2MD the cipher becomes more complex, requiring days of effort to solve. With 3MD, you may code up to 3 distinct messages into the cipher. With 4MD, the cipher ignores translation magic of all kinds. With 5MD, the cipher is completely unbreakable without the assistance of a superhuman intellect or a complex machine. You may designate up to [dice] creatures who may immediately bypass the cipher. - Command Coins
Range: 30'. Target: Unattended coins. Duration: [dice] hours
All unattended coins within 30' of you when you cast this spell will leap up and obey your mental commands for [dice] hours. They can be commanded to follow you, hide in crevices, serve as rollers, etc, but they cannot communicate information, and are mindless and feeble. - Silver to Flame
Range: 30'. Target: Unattended Silver. Duration: [dice] * 10 minutes.
Turn up to [sum] slots of silver you can see within 30' of you into magical fire, which burns for [dice] * 10 minutes, each slot worth able to coat a 10' by 10' area similar to burning oil. This fire may still be put out by water, wind, etc. - Fool's Gold
Range: 30'. Target: Any object. Duration: [dice] hours.
Target object appears to be incredibly valuable to all onlookers other than yourself, inspiring the greedy to desire it, those inclined to thievery to try and take it, etc. Even mildly greedy characters must Save or desire it greatly. Has no effect on committed ascetics and communists. - Iron to Glass
Range: 30'. Target: Iron or Steel you can see. Duration: Permanent
Transform [sum] slots of iron or steel you can see into cloudy glass. If an unwilling creature is holding the object, they gain a Save to resist. Glass weapons break if they roll maximum or minimum damage. - Infect Currency
Range: 30'. Target: Currency. Duration: Permanent
Transform up to [sum] * 20 gold coins worth of currency into dormant mimics. If this currency stays in the possession of someone not in your party or makes its way into circulation, reduce your debt by five times the amount of currency converted (for example, convert a bag of coins before spending it at a shop, or converting a dragon's hoard and then sneaking away). - Lead to Ruin
Range: Touch. Target: Lead. Duration: [dice] hours or until detonated.
Transmute [dice] slots of lead into explosives for [dice] hours, at which point it transforms back. These explosives detonate when exposed to fire or a powerful shock, dealing 2d6 damage in 10' of radius per slot, Save for half. - Forced Induction
Range: Touch. Target: Intelligent creature. Duration: 1d6 hours.
Touch an intelligent creature. They must Save or be forcefully transported to the moon for 1d6 hours, where they will be propositioned with the temptations of the Currency Conspiracy. If they accept then they will see you as their mentor and commander, while if they deny then they will have their memory of the event removed, with naught but a lingering scar on their psyche. Either way, the creature will be returned to the nearest safe location to where they left. - Grand Awakening
Range: [dice] miles. Target: Coin mimics. Duration: Permanent.
This spell cannot be cast with less than 3MD. All coin mimics within a [dice] mile radius are awakened from their dormancy, and follow the commands of the Cabal. Their mission is unknown, but havoc is assured.
Mishaps:
- MD only return to your pool on a roll of 1-2 for 24 hours (or only on a 1 if you have already rolled this mishap).
- Take 1d6 damage as you transmute some of your skin to glass.
- Act and spend impulsively for 1d6 turns.
- Random mutation for 1d6 hours, then Save, permanent if you fail.
- Immobilized for 1d6 rounds, as the weight of your debt crushes you.
- Spell has a mind of its own, acts erratically.
Dooms:
- A gang of 1d6 conspiracy cultists, 1d6 mercenaries, and a plutocrat with 1d4 templates arrive and demand all the money you have on you. If you turn it over, you lower your debt by that much. If you refuse, they attempt to capture you and bring you to their base for punishment, for 1 week per 1000 gold you still owe (rounded up).
- A portal shreds open and a gang of 2d6 conspiracy cultists, 1d6 small moon monsters, and a cabalist with 2d4 templates arrive and demand all the money you have on you, plus all the money you have at your home base (and any assets in your name, etc). They'll escort you, if you'd like. If you turn it over, lower your debt by that much. If you refuse, they attempt to capture you and bring you to the moon for torment for 1 month per 1000 gold you still owe (rounded up).
- A portal shreds you open, and your body and soul are devoured by coin-shaped mimics. It seems you were more valuable dead than alive.
You may avoid your doom by paying off your debt, or hiding somewhere unfindable by mortals and the moon alike.
