Everything is alive. Mountains, winds, the earth itself. Even cities can dream.
But "city" is an arbitrary concept isn't it? There is no clear boundary, nor any clear membership criteria.
This is irrelevant. Everything is alive. Everything strives. Every collection of anything that has any sort of a shared identity. Sentience comes from identity, not structure, and identity is not something that brute material can dictate. We decide.
What is a human, except a collection of singular cells that dreamed themselves unified?
When the legion was founded, the genius legionis came into existence. It is the metaphysical consequence of thousands of men uniting their wills under one banner--although it is equally true to say that the unitary will of the legion is the consequence of the genius legionis.
The genius legionis doesn't have an intellect the way that you and I do. It is pure will. It doesn't communicate with words, but with instinct and gut feelings. It doesn't want anything except the shared goals of the group that it champions. It is strengthened by recognition, honor, success, and sacrifices.
But the legion has passed from memory. With their passing, the genius legionis has also dissipated. But its home remains--a bronze eagle atop a tall standard. The genius legionis wasn't made up of bronze, but it resided there. And now that the standard has been picked up again by new hands, a new spirit stirs behind the bronze eyes.
Playing as the Genius Legionis
This is a character class. One of the players at the table can play as the genius legionis. As a PC, the genius legionis is a little unusual. They don't have a body, except the bodies of the rest of the party. They don't have a voice, except the voice of the party. They cannot die, unless the party dies.
Around the table, this might be a little bit awkward, but I think it might suite some players who like a more background role.
I would also recommend that the player who plays the genius legionis be given a hireling that they can roleplay as. A standard bearer--who can also be a porter, torchbearer, etc.
The Genius Legionis Class
The genius legionis can help solve puzzles by putting ideas in the heads of party characters. They can't speak directly, but other characters can speak for them. And like anyone else, they get one action every round in combat. (This action is usually performed via the body of a willing player character, although some of them are performed "through" the body of their opponents.)
Starting at level 2, a genius legionis gets access to Stunts. Most stunts are useful in combat and can only be used when certain conditions are met. Each Stunt can only be used once per combat.
Template Bonus: Everyone in the party gets +1 Initiative for every Genius Legionis template you have.
A Inspire, Killing Instinct
B Shrine, 2 Random Stunts
C Trophies, 2 Random Stunts
D Battle Flow, 2 Stunts of Your Choice
Inspire
You can't speak, but you can deliver ideas into the brains of anyone else in the party, at any time.
Killing Instinct
As a standard action, pick a party member who hasn't dealt any damage to anyone this turn. They get a free melee attack. You roll it.
Shrine
The party can set up the battle standard and make an offering to it (which can be literally anything, as long as it is delivered reverentially). The site becomes a shrine. Within the shrine, party members are automatically alerted (via spidey sense) if any enemy enters. The "site" can be a campsite in a wilderness or a small fort, as long as it is fully owned by the party.
Trophies
In an hour-long ceremony that requires a bard and a lot of mead, the party retells the story of how they killed a powerful enemy. (You gotta roleplay this at least *a little*). Then a trophy of that enemy is affixed to the battle standard. Against a similar foe, once per combat, as a free action, you can grant an automatic success after someone fails their save, or turn a critical miss into a critical hit.
You can affix a maximum of 3 trophies to yourself
Battle Flow
As a standard action, pick an enemy or a group of similar enemies. Then pick a party member. The enemies will all attack the chosen party member. They get an Int save if this would expose them to immediate, obvious hazards. They get another Int save if they are human-intelligence or smarter.
Alternatively, you can use this ability to make enemies *avoid* attacking a specific party member.
Stunts (d10)
1. Don't You Die on Me
Useable only when a party member is Dying. For the rest of the turn, all attempts to stabilize the Dying party member get +2. All attacks against the enemy that last dealt damage to the Dying party member get +4 to hit.
2. Special Delivery
One party member can cast a spell into a melee weapon held by another character. The weapon glows, gets +4 to damage and to hit, and delivers the spell on the next hit. If the weapon isn't discharged in one round, the spell dissipates. If the weapon misses, you can use your standard action to give them an extra roll, as per the Killing Instinct ability.
3. Overconfidence
This ability is only useable after at least 3 attacks have missed this turn. As a standard action, an enemy becomes overconfident and missteps. They get -4 Defense for the next round. Useable 1/combat.
4. The Cavalry is Here
If one party member is separated from the party, and they are about to die (i.e. in combat and within 1 hit of death, drowning in a pool, etc), you can roll a d6. On a 4 or higher, the party can arrive on the scene as long as it is feasible within the fiction.
5. Gank
An enemy takes 2d6 damage. Useable only when three different party members have dealt melee damage to them in a single turn.
6. Suddenly, a Rat
At the end of a turn where an enemy moves somewhere new, a random rat appears and attacks the enemy. The enemy steps on a rat nest or something similar. If rats don't exist in this location, a creature of similar menace appears instead.
7. Irresistible Monologue
A villain capable of monologuing spends a round monologuing, giving the party extra time to move, prep, or heal. You can use this ability at the start of combat before any hostilities have broken out, or when the enemy seems certain to win. The monologue ends as soon as anyone takes an action that is overtly hostile. (E.g. the enemy has a readied action to cast power word kill as soon as you raise your bow--they're not monologuing with their eyes closed.) Only works on enemies that can talk.
8. Last Stand
A character at 1 HP takes a full turn of actions, chosen by you (and with the consent of the character's player). They get +4 attack and damage on their first attack roll.
9. Swift Punch in the Throat
An ally punches an enemy spellcaster in the throat, dealing 1 damage and giving them a 50% chance of fumbling their spell. Only useable when an enemy is casting a spell adjacent to an ally.
10. Glorious Charge
When the entire party charges enemies simultaneously, all enemies take 1d10 fear damage. When most of the party charges enemies simultaneously, all enemies take 1d6 fear damage. Useless against enemies that are immune to fear or enemies that have no reason to fear you (e.g. ghosts, elder dragons, werewolves).
Describe how the glorious charge appears in the eyes of the enemies. For example, you might appear as a flaming hawk above the party.
Merry GLoGmas!
This is a GLoGmas gift for antitime at Temporal Negativity
I'm sort of riffing of their Five Fighters class. They also have a functional little dungeon here.
Merry Christmas, everyone.