Who Would be at the Expense of Two? (GLoG Class: Binder) (😈)

Having cut my teeth on D&D 3.5, I always wanted to reproduce the binder class, which had a great feel to it, if flawed in execution. Fifth edition's warlock class seemed like a nice step in that direction, but I don't especially care for that ruleset, so I've tried my hand at a class in the GLoG style. I think this could be adapted to B/X pretty easily, giving it the dwarf XP advancement, +1 spirit every other level, saves as a magic-user, and proficiencies of a thief.

Harry Clarke, Faust. In accordance with Matthew 16:23, he has Satan behind him.

Binder

(Start with Petite bourgeoisie apartment (with sideboard), pen and ink, chalk, candles, wavy knife)
1 (Student): Decency, Patron, Pitch, +1 Spirit
2 (Master): Ventriloquy, +1 Spirit
3 (Doctor): Officiously To Keep Alive, +1 Spirit
4 (Necromancer): Chorus, +1 Spirit

Decency: You start with an extra primary attribute, Decency. It's generated like your other attributes, but you get a -1 upon taking your first Binder level. Binders can sell (or, rarely, wager) slivers of Decency to their patron in exchange for favors. In order to level up, a Binder with enough XP must complete a gross or violent ritual set by their patron, which also subtracts 1 from their decency score. If a Binder is dying or if they attempt to give up binding, they must roll under their Decency on a d20 or get torn apart by invisible demons.

Patron: A demon with a strange form that teaches the Binder its knowledge. This immortal creature can be summoned by inscribing its sigil, typically in a chalk and candle circle. As a complimentary service, the patron can teach the liberal arts and astronomy, as well as Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. It will fight for the Binder only if paid in acts degrading Decency.

Pitch: Upon encountering a ghost or similar creature, you can add them to your Acquaintance of Spirits if you can get their agreement. If you encounter a demon, you can switch to have them as your Patron. They may offer incentives to do so, depending on their reaction roll with your current patron. Switching Patrons always involves a ritual costing 1 Decency.

Spirits: Each day, you may wheedle and finagle with your patron to get the services of a number of Spirits in your Acquaintance equal to your binder level. Your Acquaintance of Spirits includes three of the famous ones (see Example Spirits below) and any you acquire in play. When using a spirit for a task that's within their specialty, they will almost alway succeed. For each major favor the spirit does, your patron has a 50% chance of deciding that they've helped you enough, and you can't call that spirit back up that day. Only one Spirit may be in active service at a given time. Spirits cannot be called up on hallowed ground and they cannot penetrate iron, holy symbols, or asbestos. The definition of "each day" is interpreted in the least-convenient way unless agreed upon between the patron and the binder. 

Ventriloquy: Your spirits can enter your body, and make you seem to be the source of whatever they are doing.

Officiously to Keep Alive: When in close contact with a dying creature, you can set a Memorandum on their spirit. When they die, their Spirit is added to your Acquiantance, with no consent required.

Chorus: You can have any number of Spirits in service at a given time, up to your per-day limit.

Example Spirits
These should be given names and deeds specific to your game-world. Examples from Earth history and myth are included.

1. Great Beauty (Helen, Casanova, Cleopatra) for sex, appeal and command.
2. Tactician (Napoleon, Attila the Hun, Alexander) for winning battles, scattering resistance, and organizing supplies.
3. Lush (Rasputin, the Oracle of Delphi, Alcibiades) to drug, entertain, and placate.
4. Millionaire (Solomon, Mansa Musa, Crassus) for money and influence.
5. Great Hunter (Nimrod, Enkidu) for strength and ability.
6. Raider (Caligula, Bjorn Ironsides, Dong Zhou) for ruining in business and shattering institution
7. Scholar (Sappho, Aristotle, Arius) for finding books and pieces of lore.
8. Wizard (Simon Magus, Morgan LeFey, Merlin) for summoning fire and changing seeming.
9. Traitor (Judas, Marc Antony, Brutus) for backstabbing, brooding, and conspiring.

Harry Clarke

Some Artifacts used by Secret Societies

• Mentioner: signet ring inscribed with a Patron's sign. Dab it in chalk or blood or something and stamp the symbol on a surface to commune with them. 
• Daemon Manual: catalogue of Patrons, typically rotting and with excerpts cut out. Has a 50% chance of predicting a pair of Patrons' reaction to each other. I hear the best one around needs to be unlocked with 72 keys.
• Sayings of the Sojourner: a mass-market book whose production run was cursed with typos and mechanical issues, for which several printers' devils were blamed. Reading it gives a chance to perform a ritual to increase one's Decency by 1, though it is repugnant to a binder.
• Odeur de Misère: a sour-smelling brimstone-based perfume. Spritzing someone reveals their Decency score, as binders and others who consort with demons are covered in a residue to which the perfume does not stick.
• Honied Ossuary: a cushioned coffin with such furnishings as kaleidoscopes, incense burners, or lazy susans built into it. Aids in enticing spirits into one's Acquaintance.

Deal or No Deal?

I enjoy the concepts of classes that derive their power from their personal relationship with a specific entity
that you can talk to. However, it seems like many classes that fit the bill in 3.5 or Pathfinder really want you
to overlook that defining relationship in favor of treating the vestige or patron like a spellbook.

BINDER (witch, occultist, petitioner, channeler)

1	Contract, +1 implicature	1 free slot per day
2	Bargain for Second Magnitude	2 free slots per day
3	Dupe, +1 implicature	3 free slots per day
4	Bargain for Third Magnitude	5 free slots per day
5	Artifact Channel, +1 implicature	7 free slots per day
6	Bargain for Fourth Magnitude	11 free slots per day
7	Two Minds, +1 implicature	15 free slots per day
8	Bargain for Fifth Magnitude	21 free slots per day
9	Undying, +1 implicature	27 free slots per day
10	Bargain for Sixth Magnitude	35 free slots per day

Starting Skills: any one expertise, implicature, and one other.

Contract: You have bargained with a supernatural entity or entities for magical power. This will require skill tests for later magnitudes, but it is assumed that you’ve managed to already work out a deal for first magnitude spells. All spells you know are recorded in magical, ethereal contracts, which you study each day. When you consult your contract, you decide which spells you will be able to cast that day and how many times you can cast each one. For each casting of a starting-level spell, you must commit one spell slot. Later magnitudes cost a number of slots equal to their magnitude.

Later that day, you may try to bargain with your patron to cast more spells. You get a penalty equal to the number of attempts you’ve made to bargain for more spells that day, as well as the number of spell slots you want from the patron. See the “bargain for magnitudes” entry for rules on bargaining with your patron.

Your patron teaches you two spells per level, and for a negotiated cost can teach you more, if you have a scroll, tome, or similar artifact to study from. It is totally impossible to break free from your patron, but if you do you will become more powerful than your wildest dreams.

If you have one patron, you get a +3 to implicature tests to bargain with it, but you are restricted to learning spells of its domains (see the Gods and Patrons chapter.) You are also bound by one of its taboos of your choice. If you consult multiple patrons, you may learn spells of any domain, but are bound by two random taboos from the table below. The DM may choose to have you randomly select new taboos every level.

Table 9: General Taboos

1. Cannot eat meat. 

2. Cannot lie. 

3. Cannot touch a dead body. 

4. Cannot sleep indoors 

5. Must flagellate self daily (1d4 damage) 

6. Must engage in hedonistic acts whenever possible. 

7. Must follow the law. 

8. Must accept all challenges and wagers. 

Bargain for Magnitudes: A binder cannot even learn a spell unless they are initiated into the appropriate magnitude. Once they achieve the appropriate level, they may make an implicature test to bargain with their patron. They get a -2 penalty for each degree of magnitude they are trying to be initiated into.

• If you fail, pick three. If you succeed, pick one. If you succeed by 10+, pick zero. You must fulfill a random taboo until you next level up, you must perform some minor quest incidental with your current business, you must endure a curse until you level up (such as babbling, penalty to a primary stat, or compulsive singing.)

Dupe: You may use implicature to bargain as a standard action, but it only convinces the mark for up to one minute. This cannot be used in combat or other hostile situations.

Artifact Channel: Channeling a little magic from your connection to your patron, you may use magic items as a wizard of half your level.

Two Minds: Whenever you make a mental test, roll twice and take the better result.

Undying: Wounds do not render you unconscious or incapacitated. You are alive and standing until you’re dead.

PATRONS

Patrons in Sweetheart D&D are minor spirits, vestiges, outsiders, demons, angels, or ascended familiars. Unlike gods, they are much smaller-time and have a more immediate relationship with the binders who channel them. Most bargains with a patron should be fully roleplayed. A binder can summon an illusory form for their patron to speak with, each one identifiable and unique. A DM strapped for ideas might consult the Lesser Keys of Solomon. Below, several example patrons (and their taboos) are listed.

A typical patron will have:

• Two of the following domains: ritual, illusion, transformation, fire, curse, necromancy, charm, angel, demon, summoning, shadow.
• Two of the following domains: healing, disease, ooze, liquid, flesh, blood, soul, spirit, item, weapon, bone, emotion, dispel, conjuration, flight, radiation, speech
• Four taboos to choose from.
• A manifestation and a personality. In negotiations, a patron is remarkably hung-up on their taboos, but they often have other desire and interests as well. While friendship is almost certainly off the table, a patron and their binder can develop a rapport for a time if they have compatible personalities.

Flicker: fire, shadow, speech, soul

• Must wear a red ribbon in your hair
• You can no longer feel heat.
• Cannot enter a church.
• Cannot allow yourself to be imprisoned.

Tzetkhal: ritual, curse, healing, disease

• Cannot acquire a new pair of shoes.
• Must speak with every horse you see.
• Must avenge slights.
• Cannot turn away a guest or someone seeking sanctuary.

Canorod: Illusion, demon, ooze, emotion

• Cannot touch what you love
• All animals are dogs to you.
• Cannot relax without your back to the wall.
• Must insult people periodically.

Inner Sister: necromancy, transformation, blood, flight

• Must always reciprocate romantic overtures.
• Cannot look at your own reflection.
• Must dress as lavishly as possible.
• Physically harmed by when others are self-deprecating.

Zohariel: angel, charm, conjuration, dispel

• Cannot speak.
• Each time you take a life, you must pray for their soul that night.
• Cannot harm a priest.
• Must always forgive.

Ublthu: summoning, curse, radiation, disease

• Cannot look someone in the eye.
• Cannot attack an unready foe.
• Must speak your mind.
• Must drink to excess when able.

Ashur the Ephemeral: charm, fire, item, speech

• Must wear a blindfold at night.
• Must always seize an opportunity to boast or expound.
• Cannot admit wrongdoing.
• Cannot cross running water.

Baron Zutherasc: ritual, shadow, spirit, weapon

• Cannot cut your hair.
• Cannot have a consensual romantic encounter
• Must seek violent solutions.
• Must whisper.

Fus: demon, angel, conjuration, blood

• Cannot harm a wild animal.
• Cannot cast spells with your eyes open.
• Must try to barter every time.
• Must try to taste any wound you see.

The Scholar Princess: fire, illusion, dispel, emotion

• Cannot enter a cellar or basement.
• Cannot thank anyone.
• Cannot trust anyone with a beard.
• Cannot be swayed by warnings.

Aoulosh Blackwell: ritual, transformation, conjuration, healing

• Cannot harm an innocent.
• Must educate the willfully ignorant.
• Must at least read the title of every book you come across.
• Must find an apprentice to train to become a philosopher king.

BINDER SPELL LIST

A binder’s access to spells depends on whether they have one patron or multiple. Binders with one patron may only cast spells from the binder list with at least one matching domain. Binders with many patrons may select from the full list. Binder spells of the “patron” domain may be cast only by binders with a single patron.

Spell Name	Domains	Magnitude	Effect
Alter Disease	Disease, ritual, healing	Second	You may use use expertise (nature) to bargain with diseases, convincing it to act differently as per the implicature skill.
Alter Form	Illusion, transformation	Second	You take on the appearance of another humanoid, with a degree of precision commensurate with your knowledge of them. This spell requires concentration.
Arson	Fire	Third	In just a few seconds, you set a wide area (maximum radius ten feet) ablaze. If the material affected is normally flammable, the fire spreads quickly. Otherwise, it peters out in a couple minutes.
Become Ooze	Transformation, ooze, liquid	Second	You can affect your body or parts of your body, as well as carried items, as though they were a viscous liquid. This lasts an hour. This spell requires concentration
Bind Heart	Ritual, necromancy, flesh, blood, heart, curse	Fifth	You pull a willing or bound target’s heart from its body, still beating. They become immune to critical hits and aging, but if anyone bearing the heart deals damage to it, they instantly die.
Bind Soul	Ritual, soul, spirit, item	Third	You pull a dead or dying target’s soul into an item or animal. So long as the vessel is intact, the soul does not go to its usual afterlife. Possession of this soul gives a bonus to some things, notably the seance spell targeting the particular soul.
Channel Chaos	Transformation, patron,	Sixth	Cast six spell slots worth of binder spells with the transformation domain or the domains of your patron. You do not need to know them. You must observe all of your patron’s taboos until the spell ends, which is not until your patron decides it ends. Your patron has direct control of your body, and resisting their will requires a charisma test.
Charm Person	Charm	Second	One target treats you like their friend. You can cast this spell at fourth magnitude to affect a group of people.
Call Up	Ritual, angel, demon, outsider, summoning	Fifth	You pull a powerful outsider out of the void. It is uncontrolled, and if you haven’t done prior research you have no idea what it’s capable of.
Clinging Shadow	Shadow	Fourth	You target a space up to 50 ft. away. All characters within 15 ft. of the center must test dexterity or take 2d6 damage and become entangled. Saving inflicts half damage but still entangles them. This spell requires concentration
Contact power	Ritual, spirit, angel, demon, outsider, patron	First	You invite a foreign intelligence from the void of another plane to briefly inhabit your body. It can speak, but do nothing else. The creature can answer questions, but may require a bargain to give the juiciest details.
Contagion	disease	Fourth	You afflict the target with a deadly and contagious disease.
Culpa	Bone, blood, necromancy, emotion, weapon	First (cantrip)	You summon a bone dagger out of your wrist. It deals additional damage if you truly hate the target. Typically this would be +1 for an ideological foe, +2 for a nemesis, and +3 for a former lover who spurned you.
Dispel leadership and tactics	dispel	Second	All leadership and/or tactics spells before you end. If they were cast by a higher-level caster, you must make a spellcraft test, modified by their level, to succeed.
Dispel nature	dispel	First	All nature spells before you end. If they were cast by a higher-level caster, you must make a spellcraft test, modified by their level, to succeed.
Dominate	Charm	Fourth	One target treats you like their master. You can cast this spell at sixth magnitude to affect a group of people. This spell requires concentration.
Fireball	fire	Fourth	You throw a bursting bead of fire up to 50 ft. All characters within 15 ft. of the center must test dexterity or take 4d6 damage. Saving inflicts half damage. This spell requires concentration.
Fire Blast/Shadow Blast	Fire, shadow	Second	You throw a bolt of fire (or shadow) up to 50 ft. Make a ranged attack to deal 2d6 damage.
False Bilocation	Illusion	Third	For the next six hours, create a clone of yourself. It acts in ways you plausibly would, and can accept simple instructions, but cannot attack, cast spells, or do anything that requires a roll. If attacked or forced to make a roll, it disintegrates. This spell requires concentration
Fool’s Gold	Illusion, conjuration, item	Second	Creates 10 gold coins per level you possess, which disappear after an hour.
Ghoul	Ritual, necromancy, disease	Second	Feed the flesh of sapient creatures to a dying creature; they become a ravenous, intelligent undead creature that is favorably disposed to you.
Grow Claws	Transformation, animal, shadow, bone,	First	Your hands distend into sharp nails. Your unarmed attacks deal 1d6 damage, and you may attack twice in a round with them.
Grow Tendrils	Transformation, shadow, ooze	Third	Tendrils grow from your body. You can be actively holding everything you carry. Whenever a foe within 20 ft. of you moves, you may attack them. This spell requires concentration
Grow Wings	Transformation, flight, angel, demon, animal	Second	Grow bulky wings that allow you to fly more quickly than a bird for up to one hour. Your flight speed is 60 ft. You can prepare this spell at a higher magnitude to fly 30 ft. faster per additional magnitude. This spell requires concentration
Heart’s Desire	Conjuration, illusion, item	Third	Create any object, which disappears after an hour.
Ignite	Fire	First (cantrip)	You start a small fire. If the material affected is normally flammable, the fire spreads quickly. Otherwise, it peters out in a couple minutes.
Ignored	Illusion, Charm	Second	Target doesn’t perceive you. If you cast another spell or attack, this spell ends. You can cast this spell at fourth magnitude to affect a group of people.This spell requires concentration
Insubstantial	Transformation, shadow	Third	You become a living shadow, with the consistency of water. Additionally, you are invisible while in near-darkness. This lasts an hour. This spell requires concentration
Juggle Fire	Fire	First	For the next hour, you can grab fire and toss it up to 50 ft. This does not allow you to create fire.
Kindred Spirits	Charm	First	One creature treats you as a friend. It must be a creature which somehow shares a temperament or significant similarity with you.
Marco	Charm	First (cantrip)	Any person within 30 ft. of you whom you are not aware of must announce their presence.
Melt	Fire	Second	Destroys a non-flammable, non-magical item. This spell requires concentration.
Mutation (physical)	Ritual, Transformation, radiation	First	The target gets a random sorcerer physical mutation. This lasts for 12 hours.
Mystery (combat)	Ritual	First	The target gets a random loresage combat mystery. This lasts for 12 hours.
Normalcy	Illusion, Charm	First	No one finds your appearance strange or alarming. This lasts for 6 hours. This spell requires concentration
Numb	Necromancy, flesh, blood	First (cantrip)	You gain DR 1 for the next ten minutes, and are immune to pain.
Object Impermanence	Charm	Fourth	Target must be looking at something to remember it. Lasts up to an hour. This spell requires concentration.
Parley	Charm	First	The target tests wisdom or becomes willing to hear you out for at least a minute. Fails if they are threatened. This spell requires concentration.
Seance	Necromancy, spirit, ritual	Third	You channel the departed spirits of those who have died in the area, or who otherwise have a connection to your location. Through you, they may converse and can answer questions, thought they may require bargaining for the juiciest information.
Seal	Rune, conjuration	First (cantrip)	Magically impresses your personal sigil. Can jam doors or give spirits attempting to break their prisons disadvantage on rolls.
See No Evil	Illusion, Charm	Third	Target cannot perceive you or anyone you are interacting with. Lasts ten minutes. This spell requires concentration
Secret Combination	Ritual, curse, Charm	Second	You and the target cannot betray the other’s confidence regarding any conversation immediately following the casting of the spell. You may cast this spell at fourth magnitude to target a group. This spell requires concentration
Slip into Shadow	dimensions, shadow	Second	You “slip” into a nearby shadow, emerging at another nearby. If the original shadow was dim, the new one may be up to 1000 ft. away. If it was properly dark, it may be up to 1 mile. You may cast this spell at higher magnitudes, each time doubling the distance. This spell requires concentration.
Speak with Sin	Charm, divination, sin, spirit, angel, demon, speech	Second	You may have a mental interaction with personifications of a target’s sins. The conversation takes one real-world instance, and while you may bargain or manipulate with these entities, they can’t actually do more than give minor circumstantial modifiers to their owners behavior.
Steal Face	Transformation, illusion, curse, flesh	First	You steal the visage of a target for one hour. If the creature is living, they get a constitution save to resist. Failure means that they can still see, breathe, etc. but have an utterly generic face for their race and ethnic extraction. This spell requires concentration.
Summon Hound	Summoning, shadow, angel, demon	First	You summon a magical dog for one hour per slot invested.
Summon Imp/Solar	Summoning, angel, demon	Second	You summon a somewhat stupid, but loyal, small flying outsider for one hour per two slots invested.
Summon Soldier	Ritual, Summoning, angel, demon	Third	You summon a strange errant outsider for one hour per three slots invested.
Summon Tempter/Redeemer	Ritual, Summoning, angel, demon, sin	Third	You summon a flying, charismatic outsider for one hour per three slots invested.
Summon Judgement	Ritual, Summoning, angel, demon	Fifth	You summon an uncontrolled force of moral nature for one hour per five slots invested.
Taboo	Curse, patron	First	Choose a taboo of your patron. The target must test intelligence or be bound by it for a day.
Unspeakability	Charm, curse	Third	You render a person, event, or object literally unspeakable in a target. This is permanent until shaken free by magic or sufficient accidental spilling of the beans.
Viscerakinesis	Necromancy, flesh	Second	You levitate something that is made of meat, and can throw it. A human-sized meat body can be thrown 30 ft., doing 1d6 damage to it. Living targets get a constitution test to resist it, moving only 5 ft.
Wight	Ritual, necromancy, curse	Third	You create from the cadaver of someone who died violently a new, strange, martial intelligent undead.
Zombie	Ritual, necromancy, flesh	First	Inject a dead body with a certain blend of herbs and animal fat. It rises the following night as a mindless, herding, undead.
Zombie Parts	Ritual, necromancy, flesh	First	Inject body parts with a certain blend of herbs and animal fat. They rise the following night as a mindless herd of undead bits.