proper noun (Ravenclaw): 1. a family line that exists in several campaign worlds. The Ravenclaws are an infamous clan of sorceresses, rogues, sorceress / rogues, and fighter / mages. The family is very multicultural, and the Ravenclaw women are comprised of humans, half-elves, half-orcs, and half-every other species with which a human male and his all-female descendants can have children. They are a clan of ner-do-wells and mad women: grave-robbing ramblers, mace wielding scoundrels, and mystical tricksters. Most of them are chaotic neutral, and all of them are scantily dressed.
slang (rpgs): 1. a character with no moral compass other than the chaotic neutral creed of “fuck it, why not? It’s just a game.”
slang (in game) 1. greedy, self-serving, manipulative, and willing to take advantage of others. That thief is as ravenclaw as they come. 2. an untrustworthy or suspicious person, especially if a spell caster. The type of person with whom no one in his or her right mind would form an adventuring party. Stay away from that sorceress, she's a real ravenclaw. 3. (ravenclaw run) a scheme in which a person runs up a huge bill at the local inn, a tab backed by the collateral of a large gem or other treasure. This collateral is then sold shortly before the con artist sneaks out the window of the inn and leave town forever. We pulled the ravenclaw run at the Inn of the Smiling Dragon. 4. to greedily claim one’s pick of all treasure in a dungeon, even if that means snatching said items from the hands of other party members, casting charm spells, or just stealing them when everyone is asleep. That bitch ravenclawed me for a rod of lordly might. 5 to cheat, especially if by means of magic. The wench ravenclawed me at dice last night. 6. to act in an unscrupulous or double-crossing manner. Don't ravenclaw me on this deal. 7. to bully someone, especially with the threat of using a polymorph spell. She savagely ravenclawed the poor, innocent goblin, Splug, who was blood-brother to Ralyn Stormshadow. 8. to viscously beat someone who richly deserves it, especially if done in defense of an orphan, beggar, or low life pickpocket. I saw her ravenclaw the landlord with a +1 light mace. 9. to use sex as a bargaining chip. She ravenclawed her way past the city gates.
History: The recognized founder of this line was a human named Baron Harkian of the Free States, who many claim was murdered by his youngest daughter, a lie exposed by the elven courts, both by a zone of truth spell and several duels-arcane. The elven conspiracy to murder the sorcerer was uncovered by the druid Oiric Treebyrne, who has never told a lie, and does not know what one is.
As a younger man, the baron made a deal with a powerful devil in exchange for the secrets of magical power, and the ability to pass these powers to his heirs, who would be the scions of a dynasty of sorcerer-kings. However, the devil played a trick on him (as is always the case in such dealings), and cursed the baron, mocking him with thought of his family name being lost forever, for his seed would always produce girls. Not wanting the devil to have the last laugh, the baron cast a wish spell and asked that his daughters and their daughters would never marry, and thus never take a name other than Ravenclaw.
The Ravenclaw women are admired for their looks, feared for their magic, and scorned for their thieving ways and lying tongues. They are a far-flung, but notorious, family of dungeon –crawling, treasure-hunting, heart-breaking, pick-pocketing , antiheroes: killers for hire and seekers of forbidden arts. This line produces the most formidable spell casters, the most daring rogues, and the craziest fighters.
Back to Main Page → 4e Homebrew → Other