Bramblin' Man

"Magic swirls and eddies around Titan like an invisible flow of water. Slow and deep in some places, fast and bubbling in others. In very special cases wild magic bursts out in such force that strange events happen spontaneously. Magical creatures arrive to feed off the energy, enchanters try to trap it in odd machinery of their own devising."

-  Adventure Creation System, p. 327.

BRAMBLE SPRITE (#21/30, #111/365) [TTHA] 

Appearance: A Bramble Sprite is a small humanoid creature composed entirely of thorny branches, like those of a species of bramble, such as raspberry, blackberry or Blackthorn bushes (see The Titan Herbal, p. 23).

Distribution: Forests, hills and wilderness across Titan.

 

Effects: These are elemental spirits from the lesser elemental realm of plants and wood, typically summoned by conjurers and enchanters to Titan. Here they are used to bathe in the occasional fonts of magic that break through, and then converted to an inert form, the Bramblewood Ball, whose innate magical power could be released at a later date.

Cost: City 12gp, Town 16gp, Village 21gp (per ball)

 

Availability: Rare

BRIARWOOD (#22/30, #112/365) [TTHA] 

Appearance: This is a small tree with dark green needle-like leaves and small honey-scented white bell-shaped flowers.

Distribution: Woods, hills, and plains across the hotter regions of Titan.

 

Effects: The wood of the Briarwood tree is extremely dense, hard and heat resistant. Taken from both the root and heartwood of the tree, the wood is used to make a variety of items from Briarwood pipes to sword handles to small shields. Someone using a small shield made from Briarwood may add +1 to the Damage Roll against all fire-based attacks.

Cost: City 10gp, Town 12gp, Village 20gp (per shield)

 

Availability: Common

 

Notes: The Briarwood is no relation to the Tanglebriar (see The Titan Herbal, p. 66), despite the partial similarity in name.

 

BRAMBLE SPRITE (#23/30, #113/365) [OOTP IV]

 

SKILL: 7

STAMINA: 9

ATTACKS: 1

WEAPON: Small Claws

ARMOUR: None

DAMAGE MODIFIER: -1 to Damage Roll

HABITAT: Woods, Hills, Wilderness, Towns, Caves

NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 1-2

TYPE: Plant/Humanoid

REACTION: Unfriendly

INTELLIGENCE: Low

A BRAMBLE SPRITE is a strange creature, shaped like a small man made out of knotted thorn bush branches like those of a species of bramble, such as raspberry, blackberry or Blackthorn bushes (see The Titan Herbal, p. 23). These are elemental spirits from the lesser elemental realm of plants and wood, typically summoned by conjurers and enchanters to Titan. Here they are used to bathe in the occasional fonts of magic that break through, and then converted to an inert form, the Bramblewood Ball, whose innate magical power could be released at a later date.

The Bramble Sprite will never attack directly, and will only strike to defend itself, lashing about with thorn-laden arms; it is otherwise completely focused upon whatever its designated task is. When attempts are made to prevent the Bramble Sprite performing this task, it has a Dodge Special Skill rating of 5 in avoiding attacks (its high STAMINA score also reflects its agility and durability). Bramble Sprites have been encountered, in the wild, in forests, hills and wilderness across Titan, and are known to be an occasional menace in the city of Ludria (see Adventure Creation System, p. 327), thanks to the unpredictable magical flows present within that settlement.

Bramblewood Ball (#24/30, #114/365) [EA:V2] (Sundry/Trinket)

This is a small strange wooden ball, slightly irregular in shape, that radiates a faint magical aura, one that even those without the Second Sight Special Skill can recognize. When found, a Bramblewood Ball will contain between 2-7 Magic Points worth of magical energy (or 2-7 STAMINA points if the bearer is a Sorcerer). This can be used by the bearer when casting a spell while holding the  Bramblewood Ball in one hand; the cost of the spell will be deducted from the Bramblewood Ball first, before being drained from the caster's reserves if necessary.

Alternatively, the Bramblewood Ball can be used as a missile weapon and thrown at an opponent. If it misses, it explodes in a harmless puff of black smoke. If it hits, it will turn into a Bramble Sprite and attack the victim immediately for 2-4 Attack Rounds before likewise disappearing in smoke. Bramblewood Balls are made by summoning a Bramble Sprite to bathe in a font of magical energy, which is then absorbed by the sprite, which then returns to its enchanter to be forged into a Bramblewood Ball in a short simple ritual. They have one use only, except if some of their power reserves are left over after a use, which can then be reused or recharged, and thus valued among sensible spellcasters as a suitable defensive preparation.

50gp (once activated; 12gp if unactivated, costs 1 MP or STAMINA to activate)

Ritual of the Thorny Vessel (#25/30, #115/365) [EA:V3] (Conjuring)

Magic-Conjuration: 2

Type: Summoning

Components: Branch from a Tanglebriar (see The Titan Herbal, p. 66).

Time Taken: 2 hours

Rarity: Common

Description: This ritual summons a Bramble Sprite to serve the will of the conjurer. These small humanoid creatures are comprised entirely of knotted thorny branches. They can serve simple instructions, such as 'Go to the font of magic on Alembic Street, bath in the font, and then return here while avoiding everybody.' They will serve the conjurer for as many months as the conjurer's Magic-Conjuration rating before decomposing away to nothing, their allotted time being over.

Recipe: Bramblewood Ball (#26/30, #116/365) [EA:V3] (Enchanting: Sundry/Trinket)

Enchantment required: 1

Cost of recipe: 100gp

Cost of ingredients: 10gp 

Ingredients: Bronze bowl, one magically charged Bramble Sprite

Time to craft: 1 hour

Description: Bramblewood Balls are made by summoning a Bramble Sprite to bathe in a font of magical energy, which is then absorbed by the sprite, which then returns to its enchanter to be forged into a Bramblewood Ball in a short simple ritual. They have one use only, except if some of their power reserves are left over after a use, which can then be reused or recharged, and thus valued among sensible spellcasters as a suitable defensive preparation.

This is a small strange wooden ball, slightly irregular in shape, that radiates a faint magical aura, one that even those without the Second Sight Special Skill can recognize. When found, a Bramblewood Ball will contain between 2-7 Magic Points worth of magical energy (or 2-7 STAMINA points if the bearer is a Sorcerer). This can be used by the bearer when casting a spell while holding the  Bramblewood Ball in one hand; the cost of the spell will be deducted from the Bramblewood Ball first, before being drained from the caster's reserves if necessary. Alternatively, the Bramblewood Ball can be used as a missile weapon and thrown at an opponent. If it misses, it explodes in a harmless puff of black smoke. If it hits, it will turn into a Bramble Sprite and attack the victim immediately for 2-4 Attack Rounds before likewise disappearing in smoke.