It's now been a full 48 hours since I learned about what GLOG is. This is my first attempt at a class. This "bard" is based on the career and music of the one hit wonder Chumbwamba. But more on that later. This is me making a class, flying by the seat of my pants, and throwing stuff at a wall until something sticks. This is also potentially the most niche piece of writing I've ever done.
Flip Templates and some inspiration lovingly stolen from the Punk Monk
The Chumbawambard
The story of Chumbawamba, for those who do not know, is one of incredible range. Beginning in a squat in Leeds, the band formed as a DIY anarcho-punk band. They recorded several energetic punk and pop albums, gaining traction on the indie and punk scene in the UK. Then Tubthumping happened. One of the quintessential one-hit wonders. Chumbawamba appeared suddenly on the scene, had one of the biggest hits of 1997, and then disappeared into the void where good music goes to die. For the next 15 years of their career, they released several more albums. A few more albums followed the dance-pop vibe of tubthumping, but later albums became more folksy and acoustic. For an in-depth history and examination of a lot of their discography, check out the podcast Chumbology.
To reflect the range of music that Chumbwamba produced during their 30 year run as a band, there are three variants of the Chumbawambard. The A and B templates are identical across the three variants. The C and D templates feature abilities named and modeled after Chumbawamba’s albums and songs from that era of their music.
Chumbawambard Mechanics
Under Dice: Under Dice (UD) are a mechanic specific to the Chumawambard. Starting at template A, a character may have 3 UD in circulation at a time. That cap goes up to 4 at template C, and 5 at Template D. When adding UD to rolls, rolls 1-3 expend the die, and rolls 4-6 allow the die to remain in circulation.
Under Die can only be applied to the flip side of the template they were acquired from. That is to say, if a player uses ability C1 of the Punk years "Pictures of Starving Children", they would not be able to use the UD from that ability to use the A2 ability 1 Hit Wonder.
Flip Templates: Each ability in a template has 2 sides. When you use the full extent of the first side, the 2nd side of the ability activates. You then must use the second side of the ability or template before using the first side again. For a more complete and better explanation, refer here.
The Pop Years:
A: Underground Band // 1 Hit Wonder, Under Die cap of 3
B: Get Knocked Down // Get Up Again,
C: Long Term Memory Loss // In Trouble Again, +1 UD cap
D: Jacob’s Ladder // All in Vain, +1 UD cap
A1 Underground Band: Years in the underground music scene have left you with stories, connections, and a lot of experience toiling in obscurity. For each round of combat that you do not attack any enemy, gain a d6 Under Die (UD). When you have collected one die, you may flip this template over, when you reach your Max UD, you must flip this template over.
A2 1 Hit Wonder: After years gaining only a minor following, you burst onto the scene, deliver a blast to remember, and leave again. Use all of your under dice as if they were magic dice. Rolls 1-3 are counted as 3’s, and rolls 4-6 are counted as 6. All dice are expended and cannot be used again until a rest, even if you roll a 4-6. After a rest and your UD have been restored, flip this template over.
B1 Get Knocked Down: Nobody stays up forever, but you’ve gotten used to getting knocked on your ass. You’ve taken one hell of a hit, you’re on your back, barely hanging on. When you are dropped to 0 or fewer HP, or you take a critical hit, you may remain at 1 hit point or the critical hit becomes a regular hit. You become prone. Flip this template.
B2 Get Up Again: You’re never gonna be kept down. You have too much resolve. When an ally heals you, you may add the amount they healed you to your next attack roll and damage. When that target drops, flip this template. You may cycle through the B templates a number of times equal to your Under Die Cap before a long rest.
C1 Long Term Memory Loss: Do you suffer from long term memory loss? Well I don’t remember, and neither do your enemies. You can make an enemy forget they knew and hated you for a period of time. Roll a number of D6s equal to your Under Die Cap. The resulting value is the number of weeks that you are no longer targeted by this enemy. Flip this template.
C2 In Trouble Again: Well well well, you went and got into another mess, now you need some help getting out of it. You call upon the enemy you made forget their hate for you. They join in the battle on your side. When the battle ends, so does their amnesia, flip this template. Additionally, flip this template if you do not use it before the amnesia fades naturally.
D1 Jacob’s Ladder: The only way up is down. You inflict damage less than or equal to 2x UD cap upon yourself. For every 2 points of damage inflicted, gain a UD. Flip this template. These UD cannot be used for the One Hit Wonder ability, but can be added to any other roll, or used for the All in Vain ability.
D2 All in Vain: See nothing but flowers, all in vain. You’ve lived a good life, but it hasn’t amounted to much of what you wanted it to. Maybe your allies will be able to live more fruitful lives. When an ally would take a critical hit, or be dropped by a hit, roll all your remaining UD. Multiply all the even numbers by 5. You may use this ability on all allies within that number of feet, minimum 10ft. Sum all the odd numbers. That is the amount of damage you may take, minimum 1. Flip this Template after you have regained full hit points.
The Punk Years:
A: Underground Band // 1 Hit Wonder, Under Die cap of 3
B: Get Knocked Down // Get Up Again
C: Pictures of Starving Children // Here’s The Rest of Your Life, +1 UD cap
D: Shhhlap! // Swingin' With Raymond, +1 UD cap
C1 Pictures of Starving Children: Charity, poverty porn, performative activism. They all sell records, and they all infuriate you. Stroll through the city. Hear the voices of the voiceless. Speak to the downtrodden and the forsaken. Listen to their pain and their uncomfortable truths. Gain UD equal to your UD cap. Flip the template.
C2 Here’s The Rest of Your Life: You don’t need to save every person on the planet. You can’t possibly hope to save every person on the planet. But you can maybe help one. You reach out to your allies beside you. You may give Allies equal to your Under Dice cap one Under Die each. You may distribute one Under Die per round. Their UD may be added to any roll.
D1 Shhhlap!: Sometimes things aren’t meant to make it on their own. Sometimes they need to be in a dynamic duo to make an impact. Choose an ally within 25 feet. Take all of their damage for rounds up the number of UD you have available. For each round you take their damage, they receive 1 UD. When you have finished taking damage for them, flip this template.
D2 Swingin' with Raymond: Half love, half hate. You took a burden for your friend, now you’re ready to unleash hell. All the damage that you took for your ally ignites a fire inside you. You may inflict ½ of the damage you took on all adjacent creatures. Creatures may save against this effect, taking ½ damage on a success.
The Folk Years
A: Underground Band // 1 Hit Wonder, Under Die cap of 3
B: Get Knocked Down // Get Up Again
C: A Singsong and a Scrap // Unpindownable, +1 UD cap
D: Rebel Code // The Devil’s Interval, +1 UD cap
C1 A Singsong and a Scrap: A little bit of music, a little bit of fighting. Perfectly balanced. The swing of your weapon and the shuffle of your feet. Weapons and magic and the chaos of the battlefield all stream out in a perfect harmony. You get one more attack per round. When you hit with the extra attack, you gain an Under Die. You may flip this template when you have gained 1 UD, you must flip this template when you have gained UD equal to your cap.
C2 Unpindownable: In the flow of battle, you have found your stride. You move fluidly. Whenever an enemy attacks, you may use a UD, roll it, and add it to your defense. Flip this template when you have finished a long rest and regained all UD.
D1 Rebel Code: You reach out into the underground. Taking time to focus and choose your words carefully. The people and the places and the stories buried there carry your message out to those who need it. You send a message to all your allies, regardless of where they are in the world. Only they can hear it, no means of mind reading or other magical interference can affect the message. They hear what you want them to hear, and understand it exactly as you mean it. You may gain any available UD. When you have sent the message, flip this template.
D2 Devil’s Interval: By connecting to the world and reaching into the underground, you have found a perfect harmony. Reaching deep inside you, you unleash three unholy notes. Roll any UD acquired by template D1 as damage. This attack has up to three charges. After the third charge is expended, flip this template.
Notes:
- I currently think, that a player should be allowed to take a C template from one version, and a D template from another. Still working that out though.
- Under Die are probably a bit unwieldy, also gonna be working on that mechanic. Probably going to at least change the name of it.
- The "half-love, half-hate" part of the swingin' with raymond ability refers to how the album was recorded/organized. There are loads of references to chumbawamba "lore" that I could talk about for a while.
- Despite being probably the second most popular chumbwamba album Anarchy unfortunately does not get a mention in any of the abilities. Will probably be remedying this in updates of the class build.
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