tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20623420718166983292024-03-20T15:44:15.525-07:00Roll 'EmA blog about gaming, politics, life -- whatever strikes my fancy.
Offending the religious right since 2009Eric R. Wirsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632409261940844934noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062342071816698329.post-76437255476376426672011-06-19T02:40:00.000-07:002011-06-19T02:40:05.894-07:00GAMING IN THE DIGITAL AGE, PART II<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Continuing my previous <a href="http://rollonward.blogspot.com/2011/06/gaming-in-digital-age-part-1.html">post</a>...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We sat down to actually game, this time using a laptop instead of my beleaguered smartphone, which apparently was just not fast enough to keep up with the demands of roleplayers. Again, part of the idea was to test out my </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">retro-clone, <i>Sorcery & Steel</i>, so it was important to factor in just how much time was spent in confusion, as well as </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">how much time was spent actually roleplaying. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Truly, it wasn't the smoothest experience. Probably because of the following:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1) My ill-preparation as Dungeon Master. I need to be on the ball and ready to go at a moment's notice. I have not run a game </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">in several years.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2) I kept having to flip through the PDF to refer to the maps. And the maps have too much black on them to print </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">without blowing an ink cartridge -- I'm looking at you Goodman Games! Fail.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3) My 7-year-old son did not feel like he was involved enough, and so kept running off and doing his own thing. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While tangentially related, that was off-putting, and distracted everyone else.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4) The pauses in the scenario while I figured out where they were in the module vs. where they were on the map.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I thought it went pretty fast, but we have someone in the group who is quick to whine, therefore I try to eliminate </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">bitching for my own piece of mind. So, I resolved to fix these things for next time. Especially involve my son more, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">as an absolute newbie it is essential he enjoy himself fully, so that he becomes a gamer and enjoys gaming on its </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">own merits. Actively give him choices, so that he has a louder voice within the group. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I would like to unveil more complexities to combat, such as the combat maneuvers. Having more things to do than </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">just endlessly trading blows with monsters in a war of H.P. attrition should help. Being able to disarm a nasty foe, or </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">knock him down, ad infinitum is part of what makes <i>Sorcery & Steel</i> great, IMHO, and should be extensively used. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What did go right is that the players seemed to understand what was required of them, and didn't raise a fuss about </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">this or that rule. Which is a good thing. If a rule doesn't make sense, new players can jump on that immediately </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and it makes the game less fun. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And another thing that went right is that, barring my son toward the end, everyone had fun. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, with that in mind, and the adventure not yet finished, we must say: To Be Continued!</span>Eric R. Wirsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632409261940844934noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062342071816698329.post-51931899766009748002011-06-09T17:21:00.000-07:002011-06-09T17:39:10.909-07:00Gaming in the Digital Age - Part 1<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is the first of a series of posts about running roleplaying games with current technology. I'm not talking about computer programs that organize every aspect of your game, from initiative to combat to how many spells have been cast, etc. That's was old when my Apple IIe was around. I'm referring to referencing PDF rulebooks, using pencils, paper, and real dice.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The game I am running is Basic D&D, heavily house-ruled (my retro-clone). I wanted to test the efficacy of the system and how easy it was to make characters. The speed of character creation was diluted somewhat by having to explain things orally to relative newbies, including a complete newbie: my 7 year old son. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was using my Motorola Cliq, an Android phone (cuz I haven't been able to stand Apple proprietary devices since they introduced the iPod). </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6OMFOemvHro89rohKp7cC5QuL_6vMrL7SQO7mHBJ-kIwULTqqq7vYoBD-M6gRWCBY-gzxamiHC7ytSrtVGn2tEk8OitIx1mNsvpnV9rUuXlhyphenhyphenHjhCfCL6c_SM1YqRQtLwuhM0sLMF58c/s1600/Motorola-CLIQ-moto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6OMFOemvHro89rohKp7cC5QuL_6vMrL7SQO7mHBJ-kIwULTqqq7vYoBD-M6gRWCBY-gzxamiHC7ytSrtVGn2tEk8OitIx1mNsvpnV9rUuXlhyphenhyphenHjhCfCL6c_SM1YqRQtLwuhM0sLMF58c/s1600/Motorola-CLIQ-moto.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In retrospect, a laptop would have been better. The PDF reader I was using was the best there was for free, but I had to wait for pages to refresh which only increased the amount of time character creation took. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Still, we got 3 characters up and running, and we need to set a time for the game. Something that meshes with everyone's schedules. That will be harder than actually sitting down and bench-testing both the digital era plus my homebrew D&D.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Part II coming soon!</span><br />
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</span>Eric R. Wirsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632409261940844934noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062342071816698329.post-19419455893625314502011-06-06T10:21:00.000-07:002011-06-06T10:21:44.657-07:00Summertime!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Summer is not officially here until Jun 21st, but here's a photo of my environs. It is not my photo, but only because I do not have a telephoto lens to make the background stand out. On my digital camera, Mt. Rainier washes out, and seems to be indistinguishable from the skyline. We've got beaches, forests, lakes, mountains and cities. No place on earth like it!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcio-Dne-oVjtJUVgWFFVeUr35LF3OxpJCKqpbR-gyUy3Eosxk-PUDnOEA4p6jj_Sfda_gt9g1QYyFJJxi4p1nqy8vaDq0y95fidu_FETSOZcUTGE8qknP4wFuBl7Axmf9ToX-aL8KJs/s1600/Mount_Rainier_over_Tacoma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcio-Dne-oVjtJUVgWFFVeUr35LF3OxpJCKqpbR-gyUy3Eosxk-PUDnOEA4p6jj_Sfda_gt9g1QYyFJJxi4p1nqy8vaDq0y95fidu_FETSOZcUTGE8qknP4wFuBl7Axmf9ToX-aL8KJs/s400/Mount_Rainier_over_Tacoma.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mt Rainier from Commencement Bay; The City of Tacoma is in the foreground.</span></td></tr>
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</span>Eric R. Wirsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632409261940844934noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062342071816698329.post-20585196665574264732011-06-05T13:35:00.000-07:002011-06-05T13:35:21.467-07:00Goblins & Orcs & Things Oh My!<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I don't know what it is about them, but goblins and orcs seem to be fastened firmly in the D&D psyche. Judging by the fact that a lot of my fellow old school bloggers seem to have re-designed goblins and orcs, and I have my own take on them as well.<br />
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Orcs in my world go by a different name, Ugruk, and they are considered to be one of the "goblinoid races." I have read that Gygax didn't really care fpr the pig-faced orcs, so I don't use them. Ugruk have brown, gray or greenish skin, glowing red eyes and are able to see in darkness. They are typically strong and hardy, possess a keen sense of smell, and are able to catch the scent of other hostile beings at a distance of 20 miles, even if they cannot tell what type of creature they are smelling. They are excellent warriors, driven by animal instincts and an aggressive nature. When two Ugruk disagree, they meet in the pit. The survivor is the one who is "right." <br />
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Some Ugruk have adapted to the cities, and live among humans. They are brown-skinned, and much more civilized than their greenskin cousins. It would not be uncommon to see a brown-skinned Ugruk as a blacksmith, bartender, or builder. There are no "half-ugruk" (or half-orcs) as humans and Ugruk are completely different breeds. <br />
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The typical Ugruk is taller and broader than a human, with short legs and long arms much like an ape. They have massive heads which come directly forward on their necks, and their heads are batlike, with protruding ears from which hair sprouts. On their faces are small snouts and a wattle of a chin that descends into a powerful chest. They have tough, thick skin which is highly resistant to pain. They can sustain grievous injuries yet still stay in the fight.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <br />
Goblins themselves are much smaller and weaker than Ugruk. The two species detest each other, and wars between them are as common as alliances. In general, when the two races do team up, the Ugruk act as leader, Goblins are treated litle better than slaves. <br />
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Goblins are very spindly and cowardly. They are quite short and nearly emaciated. Goblins, however, are very fast, and can rapidly attack from a different angle than they did a moment ago. They have an annoying ability to be elsewhere by the time you're ready to strike. They also throw small "bombs," gourds that break apart when they hit you, causing d4 damage. If the bomb doesn't hit, then it churns out choking and blinding dust (Save vs. Dragon's Breath) or be blinded for d3 rounds. A successful save means you're not happy, but still ready for action. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Goblins have also developed a penchant for ambush, as they know they would lose in a stand-up fight. They hang out in trees and bushes, or hide in holes in the ground, and try to pick off the slowpoke in the back of the party. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Both Goblins and Ugruk organize themselves into clans. These clans often have distinctive names like the Bone Gnawers or Bloody Hand. Here's a handy table to generate a clan name quickly. To use it, roll 4d10 twice, once for a first name, and once for a last name, and rearrange or mangle to suit. The parts in parentheses are alternate forms of the name, Mud(dy) could mean either Mud or Muddy. Here's the table:</span></div><br />
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<dl><dd> <table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"><col width="41*"></col> <col width="215*"></col> <tbody>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">4d10</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Element</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">4</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Army</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">5</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Attack(er)</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">6</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Axe</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">7</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Biter</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">8</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Bitter</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">9</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Black</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">10</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Blood(y)</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">11</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Break(er)</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">12</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Burn/Fire/Flame</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">13</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Chain</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">14</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Dagger/Knife</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">15</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Danger</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">16</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Dark</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">17</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Deep</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">18</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Destroy(er)</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">19</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Die/Dead/death</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">20</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Doom</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">21</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Dust(y)/Dirt(y)/Grim(y)/Mud(dy)</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">22</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Eat(er)/Gnaw(er)/Bite(r)/Drink(er)</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">23</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Evil</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">24</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Guard</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">25</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Hammer</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">26</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Hand</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">27</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Hard</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">28</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Hate</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">29</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Hunt(er)</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">30</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Pain/Hurt(er)</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">31</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Rock</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">32</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sharp</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">33</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Skull</span><br />
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<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">34</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Spear</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">35</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Stone</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">36</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Strong</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">37</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sword</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">38</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Tooth/Nail/Claw</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">39</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">War/Battle</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="16%"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">40</span></div></td> <td width="84%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Wolf</span><br />
</td> </tr>
</tbody></table></dd></dl><span style="font-size: small;">So, rolling my 4d10, I come up with 22 and a 10. Putting them together, it's the Blood Drinker clan. Another set gives me a 21 and 38. The Muddy Claw clan! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Have fun with this!</span>Eric R. Wirsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632409261940844934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062342071816698329.post-33571984264003647702011-05-05T06:45:00.000-07:002011-05-05T06:58:54.349-07:00Story-based Experience PointsThe main Experience Point (X.P.) awards discussions seem to be based around two things: Either you get X.P.for finding treasure or you do not. I tend not to give X.P. for treasure, but I also tend to award experience a little differently that what it tells you in the rules.<br />
<br />
The TSR days (and various editions) of Dungeons & Dragons all awarded X.P. for two things: finding treasure (especially magical treasure), and slaying monsters. Now, while not bad in and of itself, this led to some players doing very bad things (like slaying townsfolk or other PCs) to get experience. The sad thing is, there were some Dungeon Masters who let them get away with it. It says normal men are worth a certain amount of X.P. in the Monster Manual, so those who went by the book just awarded the experience, threw up their hands, and wondered what went wrong. <br />
<br />
Well, aside from the fact that those Dungeon Masters needed to put their collective feet down, and the "angry mob rule" from Original D&D never made it into the later rulebooks, it seems as if some campaigns degenerated into "kill the monster, take its stuff." As if one single part of the rules had become the whole point of the game. <br />
<br />
Certainly many computer RPGs pretty well took that route. There were several articles and letters in Dragon Magazine (in its early days, at least) that dealt with the hack and slash aspect, and whether it had a place in D&D.<br />
<br />
But interestingly enough, around the time of Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition (2e), 1989, there was a computer game called Baldur's Gate, loosely based on the 2e ruleset. In this game you had various tasks to perform, and the rewards included XP. I had never seen that before, but it made sense to me. Torment did the same, as well as Icewind Dale, which is why those games appealed to me despite my dislike of AD&D. At that time, I was playing Call of Cthulhu, Cyberpunk, Warhammer, RoleMaster, etc. <br />
<br />
Time passed, and 3E was released. Even its experience system, with its Challenge Ratings, was skewed in much the same direction as its TSR predecessors. According to designer George Strayton, WotC stuck to the "kill 'em all, take their stuff" philosophy when <a href="http://legendsandlabyrinths.com/2011/01/08/its-not-all-about-leveling/">designing 3rd Edition D&D</a>. They did add one thing, you received experience for disarming traps, but still their X.P. system felt woefully incomplete. <br />
<br />
Looking at Rolemaster and Palladium, the way you gain X.P. is far different than in other similar games. in RoleMaster you can gain experience for adventures, and some of the equations to calculate experience are overblown. Likewise, Palladium gives out experience for planning, and you get more if your plan worked, and less if it failed, etc. Both of these are germs of a good idea. What if, like Baldur's Gate (and the much more recent Gothic series), you got experience for doing things? Bring a nobleman back his amulet from the brothel he left it at: 50 xp in Baldur's Gate, for example. In the PC game Gothic 2, the reward could be 3 times that. Reward players for actually doing things in the adventure, instead of just mindlessly killing. <br />
<br />
This is not as radical as it may seem at first. Tournament adventures are scored in a similar manner. Why not transplant that into an actual game?<br />
<br />
So, I propose this system, scaled to D&D: <br />
<br />
EXPERIENCE<br />
You get experience from two broad categories. The first is a larger experience award, the major objective. The major objective is the whole point of the adventure. You might get 1,000 points for it. <br />
- Exploring the Unknown<br />
- Investigating an Evil Outpost<br />
- Removing the effects of an evil curse <br />
- Recovering Ruins<br />
- Eradicating a force of raiding goblins<br />
- Destroying an Ancient Evil<br />
- Fulfilling a Quest<br />
- Escaping From Enemies<br />
- Rescuing Prisoners<br />
- Finding a Lost Race<br />
<br />
The minor objectives are things that you did during the adventure. They're worth anywhere from 100-500 points, though not more than 300 points should be given unless the objectives took more than one session to complete.<br />
- Following a trail of clues to the next part of the adventure<br />
- Searching around a town's taverns to find a guide<br />
- Bribing a guard (or quietly rendering him unconscious) to gain entry<br />
- Killing or overcoming a monster that is preventing the Heroes from progressing further.<br />
- Using a Magic Portal to go someplace (or come back, or both)<br />
- Travel to a shrine that has been lost for ages, in order to remove the curse.<br />
<br />
These are base Experience Awards, and they increase as the Heroes rise in level. A good rule of thumb is to multiply the awards by the Heroes' level. So if the Heroes are 3rd level, they might net 600 X.P. for the last group of monsters they killed. Or, after exploring the ruins to find the foozle they might get 3,000 X.P. <br />
<br />
Obviously, you can increase or decrease the base experience award as you see fit. A slower progression might see 500 for a major objective, or even 250! You might even flatten the rate, so even at 5th level the PCs are getting the same amount of X.P. as they did at 1st level. Part of the advantage of this system is the sheer control. You can tailor it to the exact number of adventures you want your players to go through before they level. Also, set up this way, hack and slash actions are not rewarded unless you want them to be.Eric R. Wirsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632409261940844934noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062342071816698329.post-38466659445828973292011-04-02T10:31:00.000-07:002011-05-14T09:08:11.020-07:00Mutant Future setting: Sorcerers & Cyborgs<div align="LEFT" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The Time of the Ancients was a magical time, an era where metal birds carrying many flew across the skies, one hundred times a day. The continents were crisscrossed with hard roads on which wheeled horses traveled, carrying men from one end of the land to the other in a matter of days. Science had progressed to a point where nearly anything was possible -- robot servants aided the Ancients in various tasks, various inventions (such as nano-reassembly-units) had practically eradicated poverty. The world had long since run out of fossil fuels, necessitating a focus on renewable sources of energy. The Earth practically ran on solar power, but this wasn't enough for some.<br />
<br />
Scientists, pushed ever onward by new discoveries in string theory and quantum universes, breached the barriers between dimensions. They pushed harder, spurred on by scanners that detected vast amounts of an unknown type of energy. When they ran further tests, the barriers between dimensions broke, gateways were opened to a host of monsters not native to our Earth, and magic began to change the face of the world. Coastlines were flooded, fissures in the earth swallowed cities, entire chunks of continents were ripped away to fuel more tsunamis, and when it was all over, everything had changed.<br />
<br />
Centuries passed. People clawed their way out of the rubble of their cities, and a few were quick to seize armories and march across the land, adding to their armies. They called themselves the Combine, ruled by a mad emperor who believed the only good mutant was a dead one. His government is set up dictator-style, with secret police and a certain cabal of officials call the shots. There is no democracy, and his is the only rule. They immediately siezed all scientific installations from the time of the Ancients, and began to rebuild, with a monopoly on technology and super-science.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>NOW</b></span><br />
Monsters prowl the globe. Dragons can be seen in the skies. Demons and vampires and worse have made this place their home. Many have found they had a talent for magic or psychic powers. Still others make their way with guns, or machine parts grafted to their bodies, or simply by their wits. Most of these are not under the rule of the Combine.<br />
<br />
The Combine doesn't want them existing, and feels that all should be under their heel. Anyone not under their rules should be crushed. The Brains search the truth, and some teach that truth to others. The Golden Death Armor pilots should work for them. Wanderers should be tamed, and brought into the fold to work for the good of the Combine. Anyone with military skill should be added to their armies. And psychics and users of magic should be dead. <br />
<br />
This is the world that folly has made, and it will take a hard man to tame it. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Welcome to my "mod" for Mutant Future entitled "Sorcerers & Cyborgs!" </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">This setting was somewhat of a challenge for Mutant Future, as there is no magic, and super-science is what a typical character in Mutant Future would be lucky to encounter. So I had to work with the setting and tweak it some. It also has some of my rules hacks to make combat and characters more dynamic. If there's one criticism I have of old-school games, it's the tendency to make rather cookie-cutter character types -- one fighter looks exactly like another fighter at the same level -- which is a bit boring. And I like my combat to be less abstract -- think Conan, rather than Squad Leader. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Obviously, there are a few revisions and clarifications to be made, but this is the first draft: </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="border: 1px solid rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0.02in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>RULES CHANGES</b></span></div><span style="font-size: small;">Radiation is a bit rare. Now mainly found among areas that the Combine has abandoned after something went wrong...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>ABILITIES</b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">Roll 4d6, take the best 3. </span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">or</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">Divvy up 6 points between the abilities. Abilities range from +1 to +4. This eliminates the Ability Bonus, and just uses the Ability itself as a bonus.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>ARMOR CLASS</b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">Subtract the armor's AC from 11, and add 5, no DEX mod.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Ex: If you have AC 1, subtracting it from 11 would be 10. Adding 5 would give a new AC of 15.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">If AC is increased by anything (like, say, <b>Increased DEX</b>, simply increase his Defense Roll<i>. </i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>HIT POINTS</b></span></div><span style="font-size: small;">Hit Points are rolled a bit differently:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- If you're using a standard character type, roll hp as normal.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Magic-Users, Psychics, Brains, Chop-Docs, Docs, Fixers, Speed Tribers, and Wanderers roll 1d6 x CON</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Armsmen, Borg, Curs, Deathwing Armor, Golden Death Armor, Nature Boy, Pharmboy, Ronin, and Super Soldiers roll 1d8 x CON</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">If ranges from +1 to +4 are used for Abilities, then total (10 + 2x the ability) x the die type for the character type.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>COMBAT</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">● </span><span style="font-size: small;">For combat, roll a d10 for Initiative and subtract your DEX mod. </span> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">● </span><span style="font-size: small;">Attacker rolls d20 plus level plus STR adj. (melee) or DEX adj (ranged) </span> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">● </span><span style="font-size: small;">Defender rolls d20 plus level plus DEX adj, declares whether he's parrying (with </span> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">weapon), dodging (getting out of the way), or blocking (with shield)</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">● </span><span style="font-size: small;">Attacker roll > Defender roll and AC = damage done</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">● </span><span style="font-size: small;">Defender roll > Attacker roll = no damage done, attack parried, dodged, or blocked.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">● </span><span style="font-size: small;">Attacker roll < AC = Attack bounced off armor</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>ABILITY CHECKS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Used in place of Skills. Just make a check on the relevant ability.<b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">● </span><span style="font-size: small;">Use Abilities such as STR, DEX, CON, etc. </span> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">● </span><span style="font-size: small;">Roll 11 or less, plus Ability Adj. (so, 13 STR has a +1 adj, meaning the STR roll would be 12-).</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">● </span><span style="font-size: small;">Choose one of these abilities as Primary, to get a +2 (so the STR roll above would be 14-)</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">● </span><span style="font-size: small;">Primary Ability Checks go up by +1 at levels 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, etc</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">● </span><span style="font-size: small;">Other Ability Checks gain +1 at levels 4, 7, 10, 13, etc</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">● </span><span style="font-size: small;">Rolling exactly the check (<i>rolling a 14 on a 14- Check, frex</i>) means the check critically succeeds.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border: 1px solid rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0.02in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>THE CHARACTER TYPES:</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>ARMSMAN </b>(Includes Combine Grunt, Combine Military Specialist, Combine Technical Officer, Scout)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The main difference between all these is that the GRUNT believes his government to be good, despite being oppressive and racist. More specialized Grunts include the SPECIALIST (espionage and recon), and TECHNICAL OFFICER (trained in either Communications, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering, Technician, Weapons). SCOUTS are trackers who love the thrill of combat.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Pure Strain Human</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>BORG</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Men and women who have replaced a large portion of their bodies with machine parts. Some of these unfortunates were too poor and too unskilled to be of service, so the Combine put them to good use in their armies. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Basic Android</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>BRAIN</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Suffer from an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, and this thirst drives them into trackless wilderness in order to uncover the planet's mysteries, and the unknown past of humankind. The ruins of once mighty cities of the Ancients and the monstrous life forms that now stalk the Earth are their bread and butter. Brains usually have some survival skills, and know how to use two weapons. In many cases, they are more like your average Merc than a scientist. Some Brains are hunted by mobs, who believe that the secrets of the Ancients are best left buried.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">-Pure Strain Human</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>CHOP-DOC</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">A chop-doc is a doctor, surgeon, or scientist who is proficient with the implantation of bionics or cybernetics. "Chop-doc" is the slang term for the most notorious and disreputable among them. They can make minor repairs to Androids and Borgs, as well.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Pure Strain Human </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>CURS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Mutant dogs engineered and empowered by the Combine to kick in doors and take names, arresting not only psychics and mages but those who harbor them. They can track by psychic or mundane scent. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Mutant Animals</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Natural Weapons (teeth, claws) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Increased Sense (Smell)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>DEATHWING ARMOR</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Developed by the Combine in response to the Golden Death Armor (q.v.), the Deathwing armor is inferior in most respects. It is essentially Scout Encasing Military Armor with some superhuman capabilities. Weapon systems include a standard, military-grade Rail Gun, and a Mini-Missile Launcher capable of firing Plasma rockets as well as ordinary artillery. Perhaps the most significant difference is that the Deathwing Armor can fly or hover, giving it a signficant battlefield advantage. The wings have metal blades on them, allowing the pilot to inflict damage if forced into a hand-to-hand conflict. Deathwing Armor will only work for Pure Strain Humans.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Pure Strain Human with Scout Encasing Military Armor (AC 2)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Military Grade Rail Gun (1d4/1d4x10 burst)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Mini-Missile Launcher (1d4x10/1d6x10 (PLASMA))</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- One additional handgun or rifle</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Can hover stationary or fly</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Full optical systems, including laser targeting, telescopic, passive nightvision (light amplification), thermo-imaging, infrared, ultraviolet, and polarization.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>DOC</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">A medical doctor (M.D.); a person who can fix or heal the human body. Most are, by now, versed in Xenobiology. It was usually knowledge gleaned in the field. They can heal Mutants as well as humans.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Pure Strain Human</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>FIXER</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Mercenary repairman who can fix just about anything.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Pure Strain Human</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>GOLDEN DEATH ARMOR</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The energy-resistant paint of this power armor unit has a strange side-effect -- it glitters a bright gold color. Thus the name of the armor. 10-feet high, it is not only powered armor, but an environmental suit, filtering impurities from air and water. Standard issue is the "BFG", a huge railgun mounted on the shoulder armor plate. The BFG is an entirely electric gun, that accelerates a few hundred metal projectiles along a set of magnetic rails faster than Mach Two. The net effect is mass destruction. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The pilots inside Golden Death Armor have either been issued them by the military (and then gone rogue), or been lucky enough to find one and have it fixed up. They love combat, and often fight just to experience the thrill of combat, and to hear the fantastic sonic booms that accompany the use of the BFG.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Pure Strain Human with Heavy Encasing Military Armor (AC 1)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- BFG-2000 -- Hyper Accelerated Rail Gun (3d6x10)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Full optical systems, including laser targeting, telescopic, passive nightvision (light amplification), thermo-imaging, infrared, ultraviolet, and polarization.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>MAGIC-USERS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Mutants</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Use Magic-User & Elf spells from Labyrinth Lord</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Most will be structured around a theme. Some samples:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><u>WIZARD</u> - Some like to concentrate on summoning spells, others have attack & defense spells, spells that aid in stealth, and so forth. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><u>TECHNO-MAGE </u>- Combine magic with technology. Use Elf and Magic-User Spells from Labyrinth Lord, but instead of spells they are items, with the same limitations on uses per day.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>NATURE BOY</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Nature Boys are those who have learned to live off the land. They know about all the benefits and dangers of various plants, know how to recognize and avoid dangerous animals, how to tell the weather from the clouds, how to build shelters, how to find food and water, how to navigate in the wilderness, signalling techniques, and how to build an effective fire. Generally how to survive in any wilderness. He can also pass through any wilderness area without leaving any trace. Some look like Davey Crockett, others look more primitive. To protect against the cold, most Nature Boys apply a coating of bear grease to their bodies. Keeps them warm, but smells quite bad...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Pure Strain Human</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>PHARMBOY</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The Pharmboy is another casualty in the quest for the super-soldier. Drugs are injected into his system by sophisticated nanodevices, which regulate his mood. These drugs enhance his combat alertness and physical capabilities. These nanodevices also monitor his physical condition, and mobilize to heal injuries 4 times faster than ordinarly healing. The Pharmboy has one code: live fast, die hard, which is oddly prophetic. The maximum lifespan for a Pharmboy is 5 years, after which the drugs they take to enhance their abilities will burn them out and kill them, as their bodies cannot take the strain.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Mutant</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Increased STR, DEX, CON</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Acute Hyper Healing</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Body Adjustment</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Combat Empathy</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Limited Lifespan: 5 years</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>PSYCHICS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Mutants</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Most will be structured around a theme. Some samples:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><u>MIND MANGLER</u> - Force Screen (Greater), Mental Barrier, Metaconcert, Mind Reflection, Mind Thrust, Neural Telepathy, Empathy, Possession, Precognition, Psi-Blade, </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><u>MYSTIC</u> - Ability Boost, Body Adjustment, Sense magic/psychic powers, Empathy, Psionic Flight (when in Lotus position only)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><u>ENERGY MASTER</u> (choose between fire, electricity, magnetic, sound, light, radiation, force)- Reflective Epidermis (for his energy type) Energy Ray, Energy Retaining Cell Structure, sense energy type, extinguish or increase energy type.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>RONIN</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">They are the wanderers of the post-apocalyptic world, righting wrongs wherever they are found, whether it's the oppressive Combine or a supernatural monster that entered through one of the magical gateways scattered across the globe.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Mutant</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Can create a psi-blade, a scintillating weapon of psychic energy, and may look like a staff, axe, mace, sword, or any other weapon. (Acts like Energy Ray, no range)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- One Random Mental Mutation</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>SPEED TRIBERS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Members of criminal gangs in cities, mostly have a hard way of life. These are not the suit-wearing Yakuza, these are the gangbangers, drug-dealers, and thieves, providing "protection" for shopkeepers on their turf. They know how to survive in the shady underbelly of the city, choked with garbage and vermin.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Pure Strain Human</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />
</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>SUPER-SOLDER</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Special Forces troopers skilled in the arts of combat and athletics who have tiny electrical devices wired to their brain. This has the unfortunate side-effect of making them crazy. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Mutant</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Increased STR, DEX, CON</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Heightened reflexes, agility for bonuses to combat (+1 to hit)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Increased senses (Vision, Smell)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Intellectual Affinity (Martial)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Acute Hyper Healing</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Suffers from delusions and insanity.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>WANDERERS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The best of these are curious minds and happy with their lot. The worst are aimless drifters, with no sense of life, purpose, or hope. They are the ones who slipped through the cracks. They have no education to speak of, and tend to live by their wits.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- Pure Strain Human</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border: 1px solid rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0.02in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>STANDARD EQUIPMENT</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">A suit of body armor, including military-issue. A set of caste-appropriate clothing (surgical gowns for doctors, leather and denim for Speed Tribers, robes for wizards, sturdy travel clothes for adventurers, combat fatigues for soldiers, etc), personal effects (such as music/vid players, wallets, combs, goggles) and camping equipment. Most characters will also have 1d3 Energy weapons (pistol and rifle if more than one), and 1d6 E-Clips. You get a +1 to those previous amount rolls if you are a military type.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">- A thief will have lock picking tools, pry bars, and glass cutter, as well as a set of conventional tools.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">- An assassin will have a bolt-action rifle and an energy rifle with four extra E-clips.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">- A hacker will have a portable, hand-held computer and a full size computer and printer.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">- A Doc will have a kit full of surgical gloves, bandages, painkiller, antibiotics, scalpels, automedical kits, and a portable lab.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">- An Operator would have a portable tool kit with an electric screwdriver and additional interchangeable heads, wrenches, etc, large tool kit, soldering iron, laser torch (for welding), a roll of duct tape, 1d3 rolls of electrical tape, pen flashlight, and a large flashlight.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Brains may possess any or all of: specimen cases, specimen dishes, 1d6 test tubes, 1D4 jars, microscope slides, portable microscope, scalpel, pins, and tweezers, magnifying glass, telescope, and books on various subjects.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">- A Chop-Doc would have a combination of a Doc's equipment and an Operator's equipment.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- A Speed Triber gets a wheeled motorcycle and drugs (at GM's option)</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>ARMOR:</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; width: 429px;"><col width="269"></col> <col width="73"></col> <col width="61"></col> <tbody>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="269"><span style="font-size: small;">ARMOR</span></td> <td width="73"><div align="CENTER" style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">AC</span></div></td> <td width="61"><div align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">PROT</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="269"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">Heavy Infantry Armor</span></div><span style="font-size: small;">Military Issue Environmental Armor</span></td> <td width="73"><div align="CENTER" style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">AC 2/9</span></div></td> <td width="61"><div align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">25</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="269"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">Myrmidon </span> </div><span style="font-size: small;">Full Environmental Armor</span></td> <td width="73"><div align="CENTER" style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">AC 2/9</span></div></td> <td width="61"><div align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">20</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="269"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">Guerilla</span></div><span style="font-size: small;">Composite High-Impact Environmental Armor</span></td> <td width="73"><div align="CENTER" style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">AC 3/8</span></div></td> <td width="61"><div align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">20</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="269"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Champion</span></div><span style="font-size: small;">Full Fibre Environmental Body Armor</span></td> <td width="73"><div align="CENTER" style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">AC 3/8</span></div></td> <td width="61"><div align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">15</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="269"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">Light Pilot/Police Armor</span></div><span style="font-size: small;">Military Issue Environmental Armor</span></td> <td width="73"><div align="CENTER" style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">AC 4/7</span></div></td> <td width="61"><div align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">15</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="269"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">Vindicator</span></div><span style="font-size: small;">Full Padded Environmental Body Armor</span></td> <td width="73"><div align="CENTER" style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">AC 4/7</span></div></td> <td width="61"><div align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">15</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="269"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pharmboy</span></div><span style="font-size: small;">Assassin's Plate Armor</span></td> <td width="73"><div align="CENTER" style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">AC 4/7</span></div></td> <td width="61"><div align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">10</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="269"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hunter</span></div><span style="font-size: small;">Plate and Padded Armor</span></td> <td width="73"><div align="CENTER" style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">AC 5/6</span></div></td> <td width="61"><div align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">10</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="269"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">Plastic Warrior</span></div><span style="font-size: small;">Full Plastic Environmental Body Armor</span></td> <td width="73"><div align="CENTER" style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">AC 5/6</span></div></td> <td width="61"><div align="CENTER"><span style="font-size: small;">5</span></div></td> </tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">Prot = Pts of damage the armor protects you from each hit.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: small;">AC is given in descending (before the slash) and ascending (after the slash) values.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>Eric R. Wirsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632409261940844934noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062342071816698329.post-519429313296266472011-03-25T13:57:00.001-07:002011-03-25T14:00:31.896-07:00My Son's Birthday<div style="font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px; padding: 0pt;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/94647448@N00/5559547488/" title="satan"><img alt="satan by steelcaress" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5226/5559547488_dda61360b6.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="margin: 0pt;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/94647448@N00/5559547488/">satan</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/94647448@N00/">steelcaress</a> on Flickr.</span></div>It was my son's birthday Thursday the 24th, and on Saturday the 26th we're going to have his party -- at our place. So I've spent the past few days cleaning the heck out of the townhome, and should be resuming normal posting in a few days, after I recover. <br />
<br />
Regrettably, unlike Paladin, I probably won't be doing any <a href="http://apaladinincitadel.blogspot.com/2011/02/playing-dnd-with-tween-stars.html">gaming for my son's birthday party</a>. His cousins are usually invited, and my sister is a hardcore Christian who believes that D&D, Pokemon, Harry Potter, and other assorted things are Satanic. <br />
<br />
It truly saddens me.Eric R. Wirsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632409261940844934noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062342071816698329.post-69774929869427279002011-03-11T07:41:00.000-08:002011-03-11T15:58:10.581-08:00Hot Elf Chick, Slightly NSFW<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7jvtIK-9J5wpMltb1lCgeu_AiXVLBCdQkQ15NIQL0E55rC4nrbr9QnB9jCmkWbXOANwdBB43C0WK1TbjvI7JV6AGz9QUb_q3ZkFQXH8QtU4zW__2ISng4vJQzusLEJXw0yHqiomfPDgk/s1600/017+%252802-11%2529_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7jvtIK-9J5wpMltb1lCgeu_AiXVLBCdQkQ15NIQL0E55rC4nrbr9QnB9jCmkWbXOANwdBB43C0WK1TbjvI7JV6AGz9QUb_q3ZkFQXH8QtU4zW__2ISng4vJQzusLEJXw0yHqiomfPDgk/s640/017+%252802-11%2529_001.jpg" width="347" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
I thought I'd post the pic first :) <br />
<br />
As part of James Smith's <a href="http://underdarkgazette.blogspot.com/2011/03/hot-elf-chick-my-fiendish-plan-to-grow.html">fiendish plan</a> to attract more followers to the Old School Renaissance, he suggested we do this. Many bloggers have taken up his suggestion already, and I'm following suit. <br />
<br />
I realize some people don't particularly care for Larry Elmore's art, but I'm not in that camp. I think, barring some of his later paperback covers, he is an incredibly talented artist, easily up there with Joe Jusko, Frank Frazetta, Luis Royo, and others. <br />
<br />
Welcome to my blog! :)<br />
<br />
To the point, however, you are now on a site of a rabid pre-Y2K gamer, one who prefers the older flavors of D&D to the new stuff. However, the current owner, Wizards of the Coast/Hasbro, has seen fit to pull all their reasonably priced PDFs of their old games down, so it would be hard to find anything other than at Ebay collectible prices. Fortunately, the work of a few talented individuals has made this much easier, and many are free. If you have ever had a hankering to be a wizard and cast earthshaking spells, a mighty warrior cleaving your way through evil hordes, or even a freebooter exploring dark labyrinths where danger and treasure lurk, then check these out:<br />
<b><br />
<a href="http://www.basicfantasy.org/">Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game</a></b> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Made to emulate Basic and Expert D&D books by Moldvay and Cook published in the very early 80's, with more modern innovations<br />
<br />
<a href="http://bxblackrazor.blogspot.com/2010/07/what-hell-is-bx-companion.html"><b>B/X Companion</b></a> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This is an imagining of what could have been, if the Companion volume for Basic D&D had been released for the Moldvay/Cook version. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://feysquare.com/?page_id=84"><b>Big Brown Book</b></a><br />
A supplement to D&D-as-wargame. Every roll is made on a d6.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://darkdungeonsblog.wordpress.com/get-it-now/">Dark Dungeons</a></b><br />
Based on a later iteration of Basic D&D, the one authored by Mentzer and organized and edited into the "Rules Cyclopedia" by Aaron Allston.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://feysquare.com/?page_id=3"><b>For Gold & Glory</b></a><br />
A pretty incredible version of 2nd Edition D&D. If you played D&D before 2000 and after 1987, this was likely the version you played.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.goblinoidgames.com/labyrinthlord.htm"><b>Labyrinth Lord </b></a><br />
Another Basic D&D clone, this one hews more closely to the original rules.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.goblinoidgames.com/labyrinthlord.htm"><b>Labyrinth Lord: Advanced Edition Companion</b></a><br />
This "updates" Labyrinth Lord to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (first edition), which many prefer. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.lotfp.com/RPG/products/lotfp-weird-fantasy-role-playing"><b>Lamentations of the Flame Princess</b></a><br />
Aimed at more Lovecraftian and Clark Ashton Smith influences, but still D&D.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.retroroleplaying.com/content/free-products"><b>Microlite system</b></a><br />
Randall has designed many free iterations of D&D, all trimmed down and made very easy to play.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.newhavengames.com/"><b>Myth & Magic</b></a><br />
This is a clone of 2nd Edition D&D, updated with more modern rules to replace what the author wanted to fix.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.knights-n-knaves.com/osric/"><b>OSRIC</b></a><br />
This is a clone of first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. It is nearly identical to the original. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.swordsandwizardry.com/?page_id=18"><b>Swords & Wizardry</b></a><br />
Mythmere games has designed a few brilliant clones of OD&D<br />
<br />
I'm sure there are some that I missed, but this will get you started! Now, if I've reignited the fires of your youth (or if the pic did it), go forth and grab a rulebook, grab some dice, and reclaim the golden age of roleplaying!</span>Eric R. Wirsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632409261940844934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062342071816698329.post-47253535739876930102011-03-04T13:48:00.000-08:002011-03-05T09:27:46.233-08:00Celebrating Gygax<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Today is the anniversary of Gary Gygax's death. If anyone doesn't know what a Gary Gygax is, you need to look it up. Jeff Rients on his blog mentioned some <a href="http://jrients.blogspot.com/2011/03/three-years-gone.html">homework</a>:<br />
<br />
"Start with a core set of rules, the older and crappier the better. You can use an RPG but some half-baked wargame works even better. Produce a two or three page document with suggestions for improving the rules/adapting them for RPG play and an outline for a campaign. Expand this to a 50-100 page book. Use the latter document as the basis for all your campaigns for the next decade or three. Run one to six games a week, refining your work as necessary. Publishing any of it is entirely optional."<br />
<br />
Done and done. Except for publishing any of it. I'm still in the process of writing a clone, but it's not finished as of this writing. A short blurb:<br />
<br />
I wrote this because I want a different "feel" for D&D, one that I don't believe the mechanics support well in their current form. I want to bring the violent action and feel of Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and David Gemmell to the mix. I want the otherworldly horror of Clark Ashton Smith and H.P. Lovecraft. I want to renew a sense of wonder to the player, when you sat down and played your first game of D&D.<br />
<br />
Choose from 10 unique races, not just another variation of elf. Some are the same as you're used to (shaken and stirred a bit), others are very different. Humans are now distinct by nationality and race. <br />
<br />
You are not your stuff anymore. Your damage increases by class and level, not by acquiring a higher-damage weapon. This is logical and consistent with the pulps we are emulating. <br />
<br />
No skills! Your character is unique and does have abilities all his own, and the rules allow anything to be attempted without fiddly rules. The Thief class is now more useful and fun than in earlier iterations of That Fantasy Game. <br />
<br />
Experience points and Treasure are more logical, consistent, and reward actually doing things. Magical treasure is now something to be truly in awe of -- not because of raw power, but because of the effects.<br />
<br />
New combat mechanics allow for any action to be taken, with instant effects -- not just “+2 to Armor Class!” Unhorse your foe! Throw your opponent into a group of enemies and bowl them over. Hurl your sword at someone and have it pierce him like a spear! Shatter weapons and shields! Simple, quick grappling rules allow you to wrestle with your enemy in style! 46 Combat Maneuvers make the Fighter class fun again! <br />
<br />
Almost infinite variety. We have 43 character classes with different types of Spellcasters and Priest-types. Unique mechanics allow selection to be a breeze! Get a character up and running in 10 minutes! Variety like you've not seen in either kit or prestige class! Yet easier than any edition!<br />
<br />
New spells, contained in the same Vancian spell slot system, but now with full power over your spells and how they're cast! Options for variants allow for a richer magic system! Eight different schools of magic are detailed, and clerics now have access to “Prayers,” instead of spells. It works the same, just renamed!<br />
<br />
New monsters! Old monsters with a unique twist! <br />
<br />
All this together with a unique fantasy setting. Make a name for yourself in the magical land of Andurantha!<br />
<br />
Not Old School, not New School, but rather Alternative School. Backwards compatible with most editions of D&D. <br />
<br />
Optional rules allow you to play it your way! <br />
<br />
Getting anyone to playtest this might be interesting. Most people have fallen under the sway of WotC or Paizo, and have little patience for anything else. A weekly game? I wish! </span></div>Eric R. Wirsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632409261940844934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062342071816698329.post-76114452629175255162011-01-27T08:24:00.000-08:002011-01-27T08:24:09.566-08:00Handling Fame and Infamy<span style="font-size: large;">Reading a post at <a href="http://www.rpgblog2.com/2011/01/you-have-bad-reputation.html">RPG Blog II</a> I was originally mentioning how I handle renown through roleplaying, somehow vaguely tied to level. And as I thought about it more and more, I began to realize that having it codified might be beneficial.<br />
<br />
Generally, the thing you will be most known for is your character class. An elusive thief, a valiant warrior, a devout priest, etc. However, there will be deeds that will stand out above others, and there also can be alignment fame (or infamy, if particularly evil or chaotic). Most basically, the character will be known, for good or ill, by what he is and what he does. Slay a band of marauding goblins -- fame. Burn down an orphanage -- infamy. <br />
<br />
Here is a rough chart of the levels, and the amount of fame they correspond to: </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<br />
<table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"><col width="58*"></col> <col width="198*"></col> <tbody>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="23%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">1<sup>st</sup>-4<sup>th</sup> level</span><br />
</td> <td width="77%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Relatively unknown. If of noble birth, it is extremely minor or hidden</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="23%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">5-8<sup>th</sup> level</span><br />
</td> <td width="77%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">By this time has proven himself a hero/villain. Educated men and bards will know of his deeds, but he will not be widely recognized. </span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="23%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">9<sup>th</sup> (Name)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">level </span><br />
</td> <td width="77%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Known by all in his state/province. Can set up some sort of headquarters and attract followers.</span><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="23%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">11<sup>th</sup> level</span><br />
</td> <td width="77%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">In/famous throughout the country. Could possibly have a place at court. </span> <br />
</td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="23%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">13<sup>th</sup> level </span> <br />
</td> <td width="77%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Known throughout the continent. </span> <br />
</td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="23%"> <div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">15<sup>th</sup> level</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <br />
</td> <td width="77%"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Known the world over. His deeds will be spoken of in distant lands</span><br />
</td> </tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
Of course, your fame/glory/renown/infamy could result in other actions being taken. Being known as an amazing warrior might have others challenging you for the title. Being infamous might mean a price is on your head, and so on. The player and DM are encouraged to be creative.</span>Eric R. Wirsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632409261940844934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062342071816698329.post-44513877342134563632011-01-24T13:13:00.000-08:002011-03-04T22:19:51.948-08:00Rethinking Combat<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
Combat in D&D (pre-2000) seems me to be a bit uninvolved. Sure, there's the whole "I'm down to my last hit point" or "I used up all my spells" resource management type thing, but otherwise there's just this: roll dice to hit, roll damage. For some reason, it felt a bit wrong to me, especially when I was exposed to other systems. In GURPS, you roll to defend yourself. In Marvel Super Heroes, you roll to dodge. In Palladium, you also have a dodge, block, or parry roll. In Storyteller, you roll to try and mitigate your foe's successes. In Tunnels & Trolls, each opponent rolls. In Rolemaster, you use some of your offensive ability to add to your defense. Heck, even in Risus you roll. Games with relatively static target numbers in combat just feel erratic, and in some cases erroneous, to me now.<br />
<br />
Imagine this: if your buddy aims a punch at you, and you see it coming, you're not likely to sit there as it comes at you. I know D&D and other games are supposed to take that into account, but I don't visualize it happening, for whatever reason. It just feels like I'm sitting there, waiting to be hit. <br />
<br />
Check out this clip from the 7th Voyage of Sinbad:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="1" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PiTSyZbIjAg?fs=1" width="425"></iframe><br />
<br />
While not technically from Appendix N, I can't imagine no one kept Ray Harryhausen in mind when designing D&D. <br />
<br />
The sad thing is, I don't have combats in D&D that play out like that clip. It just seems like two people standing there bashing each other's heads in. Even defensive maneuvers or shields tend to simply add to AC, they don't really reflect what's really going on as combat proceeds. Now, I realize that it was developed from a naval wargame. I realize that naval ships cannot dodge, parry, etc. Be that as it may, we have grown older, and better ways have been found to do certain things in the 37 years since D&D was born. And I do not care for the complexities of D&D3 or 4 -- if you enjoy them then more power to you, but I can think of easier ways to simulate what happens in this scene...and beyond it.<br />
<br />
To do this we have to overhaul the system slightly.<br />
<br />
Armor Class remains, but we have to adjust depending on what system you're using. Armor Class no longer stands for your entire defensive capabilities, but now simply straight armor. No bonuses for Dexterity are added into it. In my system, 5 is the base, and armor adds to it. It's ascending. For descending AC, you'd have to subtract that from 11 to get the bonus, and add 5. A roll under this number (still called Armor Class) means you hit the armor and no damage is done.<br />
<br />
Next we determine what the bonuses are to hit. Usually this is STR bonus + Level for Fighters, and everyone else would need to know their Base Attack Bonus. Now in the case of matrix-based combat, this is relatively easy. Find the worst AC on the matrix (for Basic this would be 9, for AD&D 10), cross-index class and level, and subtract that number from 10. That is the bonus to hit. Enterprising players will already have these numbers written down, to avoid looking anything up. This can be done for monsters as well. <br />
<br />
So, as an example, we have Gorthon, and Ral. Gorthon is a level 7 Fighter with 17 STR, and Ral is a level 9 Thief with a 13 STR. They are coming from a matrix-based game, and both Gorthon's and Ral's chance to hit AC 9 is 5. 10 - 5 = 5, meaning they have a base attack bonus of 5. Gorthon, with his 17 STR, has a +2, and Ral has a +1 to hit. Gorthon is wearing Chain, and Ral is wearing Leather. So, to summarize:<br />
<br />
Gorthon, Fighter: +7 to hit, AC 11 (Chain)<br />
Ral, Thief: +5 to hit, AC 9 (Leather)<br />
<br />
Next each combatant has 1 attack, and 1 defense. One person attacks, the other defends. The attacker declares his intent (special attacks, etc), and the defender declares his actions (parry, dodge, block with shield, or something else). To hit you simply roll a d20, and whoever rolls higher wins. If the attacker wins, roll damage. That's it. If you roll under the AC, your attack simply bounced off. Then, when the defender's initiative comes up, that's when he makes his attack, and the other guy becomes the defender. <br />
<br />
The narrative is dependent on the actions being performed. Obviously, if the defender declares that he is dodging and his roll is higher, you don't say the attack bounced off the defender's shield. He ducked or jumped out of the way. <br />
<br />
There are other things we saw in that clip as well:</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Fighting from higher ground might grant a +1 to the attacker. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ducking behind something could give a +1 to the defender. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Also the winner of a combat round might want to force the loser back a pace. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Too, you can have knockdown or knockback effects if you want, such as when Sinbad knocked the skeleton off the staircase with his sword, though again that could be simulated by having the loser forced back a pace, and falling off because there is no other place to step. A knockdown effect can be simulated by rolling attacker's STR vs. defender's DEX. If the defender fails, he's either pushed backwards, or is knocked to the ground, and must spend his next action standing. He may parry (or block, if he has a shield), but cannot dodge. <br />
<br />
For disarm, you could simply have the attacker declare that instead of damage, he has knocked the weapon from his foe's hand. Obviously, that wouldn't work with tooth or claw, but with swords, axes, maces, etc it works just fine. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And did you see what the skeleton did when disarmed? It threw the shield at Sinbad and went for its sword. That could be an attack or defense, and a WIS roll might be needed to not lose your action. <br />
<br />
The system is fairly versatile. Taking a page from <a href="http://swordandsanity.blogspot.com/2011/01/sword-sanity-rpg-combat-overview.html">Swords Against The Outer Dark</a>, you could say that 11 minus your AC is a penalty to your dodge roll, thus representing that heavy armor can slow you down. I would probably rule that way for chain, not plate, since there are even YouTube videos showing people doing aerobics in full plate. <br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="1" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xm11yAXeegg?fs=1" width="425"></iframe><br />
<br />
All this doesn't take that much longer than a normal combat, simply because there is a clear winner. It's not like the guy parrying or dodging will be successful all the time. And, I feel, it's more visceral, because as the defender you are responsible for making sure you roll higher than the other guy, rather than just waiting to see if you get hit. </span></div>Eric R. Wirsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632409261940844934noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062342071816698329.post-42477259190904439642011-01-10T16:42:00.000-08:002011-01-10T16:42:52.395-08:00Rules Hack - Mass Combat and Trade<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Reading <a href="http://recedingrules.blogspot.com/">Telecanter's Receding Rules</a> was inspiring. At the end of his <a href="http://city-of-brass.org/RecedingRules.pdf">house rules</a>, there was a request thread, of sorts -- "requesting elegant solutions" for various in-game situations. So...challenge accepted! I don't know if these are elegant enough, as they are sort of off the top of my head...<br />
<br />
<b>Simple Mass Combat Rules</b><br />
First of all, each side rolls a d20. This is modified by:<br />
</span> </div><table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="width: 494px;"><col width="481"></col> <col width="0"></col> <tbody>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="481"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Combatant has monsters in his unit</span></span><br />
</td> <td width="0"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">+</span>1</span></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="481"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Combatant has elite members in his unit</span></span><br />
</td> <td width="0"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">+</span>1</span></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="481"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Combatant has a legendary hero (ala Conan) </span></span><br />
</td> <td width="0"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">+</span>3</span></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td height="15" width="481"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Combatant has a magic user </span></span><br />
</td> <td width="0"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">+</span>1</span></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="481"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Combatant has double the amount of foe's army </span></span><br />
</td> <td width="0"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">+</span>5</span></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="481"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Combatant is holed up inside a fortress* </span></span><br />
</td> <td width="0"> <div align="CENTER"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">+</span>7</span></span></div></td> </tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
* = one side only -- this would represent a siege.<br />
<br />
Then roll. The side that gets the highest number wins. <br />
<br />
For more granularity, you could say that each successful roll reduces the foe's army by half. So, if you had 500 foes, a hit would bring you down to 250, then 175, then 90, then 45, 25, 12, 6, 3, 1, and 0. <br />
<br />
You might wish to divide the combatants into units, that way more soldiers get wiped out in a single attack. So, for example, if the above combatant had 500 men, 500 divided into 10 units of 50 men each, you could simply have the units engage in combat. Start with 10, first hit brings it down to 5, then 3, then 2, and 1, and finally the battle is won in five rolls instead of ten rolls as shown above.<br />
<br />
<b>Simple Trade Rules</b><br />
First you figure out if you're trading by land or by sea. Trading by land is shorter, but you get less of a return on your investment because pack horses cannot carry much. Trading by sea is longer and riskier, but you get more of a return on your investment because ships can carry all sorts of things, and you can trade for exotic goods from all over.<br />
<br />
Then, you take some of your gold, and put it into an investment in trade goods. <br />
<br />
Trading by sea means you roll 1d6 to find out your profit margin. If you roll a 1-5, that is the amount you invested multiplies by. So, if you invested 100 gold, rolling a 4 means you make 400 gold. A "6" means the ship was lost at sea, along with the profits. The roll is also for how many game months the ships were at sea.<br />
<br />
Trading by land, you'd roll a 1d3 for profits. Multiply what you invested by that number. It also takes that many game months for your pack horses to make the journey. <br />
<br />
I'm still working on Simple Political and Social Intrigue rules. Those rules are more difficult since intrigue is quite complex.</span></div>Eric R. Wirsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632409261940844934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062342071816698329.post-74127192493796280742010-12-31T09:03:00.000-08:002010-12-31T09:03:18.456-08:00Old School -- Busting the Myths<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As I've been following various old school blogs, I've read various things that I agree with and don't agree with. In talking with other gamers, quite a few had a negative opinion of the OSR, either from things they've read, or their supposed experiences. I present to you the most common of the negative comments I've heard or read -- most are simply largely untrue. The myths and my take on them:</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Old School Myth #1: Rules as Written (RAW)</span></b><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I've heard this time and again. I've actually experienced it too, when I have to roll a character using the 3d6 method, no assigning of abilities, getting killed just because one dice roll goes wrong (in the GM's hands), etc. Most of these things annoy me, and more often than not is just an example of rigid thinking that doesn't do anyone any good.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">But I think that RAW is just a play style. Everyone has rules they like, from random chargen to abstract combat, and that's going to happen. If they didn't like some aspect of the rules, why play? But I don't think it's particularly Old School. </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">D&D3E has a large number of skills and abilities that you can give your character. In fact, I sort admire it because of that. Properly implemented, this can give you a solid idea of where you came from or who you are. Take Howard's Conan; we know he's from a land of ice and snow, can climb really well because of his upbringing, and also can fight well -- a region where the faint of heart would soon be dead. This could be represented by skill bonuses and bonuses to fight, packaged in a background feat. But, I digress... </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">D&D3E has a great amount of rules. Rules to see whether you can bluff or intimidate, rules to see whether you can spot something, etc, rules that allow you to do something out of the ordinary in combat. There's nothing wrong with this, per se, but I kinda felt constrained gamemastering. Because I would rather there be a way to solve it without skill rolls, and the designers were intent on simply rolling for everything, it seems. What if I wanted someone to do something to notice something important (like move a cushion, or examine a wall)? What if I would rather they creatively take out their foe, rather than invoking "Improved Crushing Blow" or some such? I felt lost as a player, too.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The rules in Old School games for the most part are frameworks. Each GM seasons his own game to taste. While all GMs, Old School and Modern, do this to some extent, there's some more "on the fly" rulings that must be made. No rules system can encompass everything, and a large part of the OSR loves to tinker with it, at least a bit. If for nothing more than to make sure the next time someone does that, there's not a different set of rules that might hinder the player more or make it too easy. </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Old School Myth #2: Starting out as the Little Guy </span></b><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Another myth is the beginning character as a schmoe. Too often D&D is used as an example, but I can say definitively that every game does not do this. Almost no one can deny that Champions is old (c. 1981), incidentally the same year Tom Moldvay authored his version of Basic D&D. The characters in old-school Champions were hardly average, being superheroes. That also was the theme of Villains & Vigilantes (also '81). 70s-era Traveller was also a game where you were well-trained before you began adventuring. In the Atlantean Trilogy and Palladium Fantasy your character was well-stocked with skills and class abilities, and you were no slouch in Rolemaster, Tunnels and Trolls, The Fantasy Trip, or even RuneQuest. In Gamma World you had powers that set you above the rabble, and in Top Secret you were a secret agent ala James Bond. Need I say more?</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For my own part, I consider the "little guy" syndome to be reminiscent of Tolkien, where unassuming hobbits were the saviors of the world. I like the idea of being able to have characters who aren't invincible, but formidable in their own right. John Carter, Conan, Fafhrd, the Grey Mouser, etc. </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Old School Myth #3: Characters are akin to Checker Pieces</span></b><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A comment at </span><a href="http://dndwithpornstars.blogspot.com/2010/12/joey-johnny-dee-dee-tommy.html" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Playing D&D With Porn Stars</a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> mentions that "The (very) old school treats characters like checker pieces - I don't cry in my beer when I lose a checker piece..." I'm not entirely sure that's the truth. I think it is a bit related to #1. All the rules in the world aren't going to instill a personality in your character, or make a campaign playable. </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I've been in those kinds of games -- more power to you if you like that, I'm not particularly amenable to that style. I'd rather have a backstory for my character and have it be a bit more dramatically appropriate when I pass on, thank you very much. It's probably the reason I don't care too much for wargames or FPS games, either. I want to care about what I'm doing.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Now, if you're still trying to wrap your head around all this, or simply do not know what old-school gaming is, pick up Matt Finch's excellent </span><a href="http://www.lulu.com/content/3019374" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Quick Primer for Old School Gaming</a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">. It's free, and chock-full of great advice.</span></span>Eric R. Wirsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632409261940844934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062342071816698329.post-3451495929210846392010-12-24T02:08:00.000-08:002010-12-24T02:08:40.600-08:00Happy Holidays!<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://photobucket.com/images/santa%20motorcycle%22%20target=%22_blank%22%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e392/daz440/HarleyXMas2.jpg%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22Santa%20Motorcycle%20Pictures,%20Images%20and%20Photos%22/%3E%3C/a%3E"></a><a href="http://photobucket.com/images/santa%20motorcycle" target="_blank"><img alt="Santa Motorcycle Pictures, Images and Photos" border="0" src="http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e392/daz440/HarleyXMas2.jpg" /></a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">That's the way I'd travel if I were Santa, except I'd probably have Mrs. Claus in a sidecar :)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Blessed Yule, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Ramadan, etc. And whatever your traditions, may you game well!</span>Eric R. Wirsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632409261940844934noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062342071816698329.post-34028174236860216272010-12-16T19:00:00.000-08:002010-12-16T19:02:36.846-08:00Rules Hack - Ability Checks<span style="font-size: large;">At some time during the course of the game, a random roll will be required that's right outside the scope of the rulebook. What if someone tries to haggle with the innkeeper? What if a Hero is trying to climb to the roof without benefit of a Thiefly Ability (those are handled differently in my game as well, but one thing at a time). This would be handled using Ability Checks. Ability Checks are simply d20 rolls against an Ability, such as Strength, Wisdom, Constitution, etc.<br />
<b><br />
Note:</b> Apparently this is not new. Swords & Wizardry has this, Castles & Crusades has it, 2nd Edition D&D had it (although in a sort of slapdash manner), and Tunnels & Trolls had it longer than any of those. This, however, is my (hopefully) unique take on it. <br />
<br />
As noted above, Ability Checks are used for many actions. What makes them different in our rules hack is that they are also used for skills and saving throws.<br />
<br />
I can hear the cries of "heresy!" and "3rd Edition!" now, but hear me out.<br />
<br />
It simply makes sense to have Ability Checks used as Saving Throws. It frees you from the tyranny of having to justify a Save vs. Dragon's Breath to avoid a lasso entangling you. Now, instead of that, you can simply ask for a DEX Check. And you can give certain character Classes and Races bonuses to specific situations (acting as Skills and Saving Throws) instead of making up a new procedure, or having to print yet another table. A Dwarf and a Wizard might get bonuses to save vs. magical effects. A Thief would get a bonus to any roll he made while attempting to steal something. Very simple, very effective, doesn't require a hundred splatbooks. <br />
<br />
<b>Mechanics</b><br />
Very simply, an Ability Check starts at 8 or less on a d20. The Ability Score Adjustment adds to this (so a +4 would mean a 12 or less on a d20 for success). Not only that, but as you rise in level, the Ability Checks increase.<br />
<br />
<b>Primary Checks</b><br />
After the initial calculations, then you pick what you want to be your most rapidly advancing Ability Check. For example, a Warrior might choose Strength. This is called the Primary Check. That Check will improve by +1 every two levels, plus add 2 to it in the beginning. The rest will advance every 3 levels. Checks follow this Table as you rise in level: <br />
</span> <br />
<table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="width: 258px;"><col width="66"></col> <col width="84"></col> <col width="83"></col> <tbody>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="66"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Level</span></div></td> <td width="84"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Primary Check</span></div></td> <td width="83"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Other Checks</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="66"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">1</span></div></td> <td width="84"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+2</span></div></td> <td width="83"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+0</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="66"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">2</span></div></td> <td width="84"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+3</span></div></td> <td width="83"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+0</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="66"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">3</span></div></td> <td width="84"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+3</span></div></td> <td width="83"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+1</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="66"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">4</span></div></td> <td width="84"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+4</span></div></td> <td width="83"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+1</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="66"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">5 </span> </div></td> <td width="84"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+4</span></div></td> <td width="83"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+1</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="66"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">6</span></div></td> <td width="84"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+5</span></div></td> <td width="83"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+2</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="66"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">7 </span> </div></td> <td width="84"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+5</span></div></td> <td width="83"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+2</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="66"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">8</span></div></td> <td width="84"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+6</span></div></td> <td width="83"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+2</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="66"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">9 </span> </div></td> <td width="84"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+6</span></div></td> <td width="83"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+3</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="66"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">10</span></div></td> <td width="84"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+7</span></div></td> <td width="83"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+3</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="66"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">11</span></div></td> <td width="84"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+7</span></div></td> <td width="83"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+3</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="66"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">12</span></div></td> <td width="84"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+8</span></div></td> <td width="83"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+4</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="66"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">13</span></div></td> <td width="84"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+8</span></div></td> <td width="83"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+4</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="66"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">14</span></div></td> <td width="84"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+9</span></div></td> <td width="83"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+4</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="66"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">15</span></div></td> <td width="84"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+9</span></div></td> <td width="83"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+5</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="66"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">16</span></div></td> <td width="84"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+10</span></div></td> <td width="83"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+5</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="66"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">17</span></div></td> <td width="84"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+10</span></div></td> <td width="83"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+5</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="66"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">18</span></div></td> <td width="84"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+11</span></div></td> <td width="83"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+6</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="66"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">19</span></div></td> <td width="84"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+11</span></div></td> <td width="83"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+6</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr valign="TOP"> <td width="66"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">20</span></div></td> <td width="84"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+12</span></div></td> <td width="83"><div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">+6</span></div></td> </tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The various Classes and Races will give you bonuses on some specific applications of Ability Checks. Some are codified in the text, others are unwritten. Still others are determined on the fly. Anytime everyone in the group agrees that a Hero should get a bonus on an Ability Check, he gets it. <br />
<br />
<b>Note:</b> Since I run with Ability Score adjustments only (It's not STR 12, it's STR +1), you may have to adjust the base number higher, say an 11 or less to start, instead of an 8. <br />
<br />
<b>Common Situations and Ability Checks</b><br />
I'm just listing a few, though close to 40 examples appear in my game.<br />
<br />
<i>Fear </i>(WIS) - Some creatures instill blind, unreasoning fear into a person, scaring him stiff (cannot move). Roll to resist.<br />
<br />
<i>Leap </i>(DEX) - Horizontal jump. <br />
<br />
<i>Save vs. Paralysis</i> (STR) - Some monsters and spells can paralyze or hold victims, immobilizing them through magical means. <br />
<br />
<i>Save vs. Breath Weapon</i> (DEX or CON) - It's just a bad idea to sit there and let some creature, like a dragon, breathe on you. DEX is for dodging and diving for cover. CON is when something like poison gas is being resisted.<br />
<br />
<b>Opposed Ability Checks</b><br />
These are used when two people are rolling against an Ability, and they are competing against each other. For example, you would use an Opposed Ability Check when two people are racing to the top of a cliff wall, or when one person is trying to grab another. <br />
<br />
Opposed Ability Checks are simple. Both people roll d20, and the highest roll wins. That means that if one person had a Check of 18, and rolled a 4, and the other person had a Check of 13, and rolled an 8, the person who rolled the 8 wins. Obviously, anyone who rolls over the Check fails. <br />
<br />
<b>Critical Success</b><br />
If you roll precisely your Check, you get a <i>Critical Success</i>, and something special happens above and beyond the effect you were looking for. So, if you had a Check of 13, and you rolled a 13, you got a Critical. Critical Successes on Opposed Ability Checks mean that the person who gets the Critical wins, regardless of how high the other person rolled. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And it's important to note that the Checks don't have an ever increasing difficulty, it's simply make that roll, or not. There's no adding or subtracting any modifiers except in special circumstances.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Just an idea. It's what I'm using in my game, at any rate.</span>Eric R. Wirsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632409261940844934noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062342071816698329.post-81624335502621427422010-12-14T18:59:00.000-08:002010-12-14T18:59:15.942-08:00A Way to Handle "Speak With Dead"<span style="font-size: large;">I've got a way to handle the Speak With Dead spell narratively. Now, in the Expert Set (Mentzer Edition) it says this:<br />
<br />
<table border="8"><tbody>
<tr> <td><br />
<b>Speak with the Dead </b><br />
<br />
<b>Range</b>: 10’ <br />
<b>Duration</b>: 1 round per level of the cleric <br />
<b>Effect</b>: Cleric may ask 3 questions <br />
<br />
By means of this spell, a cleric may ask 3 questions of a deceased spirit if the body is within range. A cleric of up to 7th level may only contact spirits recently dead (up to 4 days). Clerics of level 8-14 have slightly more power (up to 4 months dead), level 15-20 even more (up to 4 years dead). No time limits apply to clerics of 21st level or greater. The spirit will always reply in a tongue known to the cleric, but can only offer knowledge of things up to the time of its death. If the spirit’s alignment is the same as the cleric’s, clear and brief answers will be given; however, if the alignments differ, the spirit may reply in riddles.</td> </tr>
</tbody></table><br />
This brings up some interesting questions about the afterlife. Most real-world religions teach that the body is simply a shell, and that the soul is what animates it. Once the body is dead, the soul departs it. In Egyptian mythology, however, preserving the body after death meant that the dearly departed would enjoy eternal life. So why would a pseudo-medieval society believe that the body had anything to do with the soul after death?<br />
<br />
Perhaps in our game we can say that the soul departs within a number of rounds, making it impossible to resurrect. Now, after the soul goes to its final reward, there is a sort of "remnant" of a soul in the body, that makes it possible to contact the person in death. Obviously the person will only know what they knew in life. Again, because the soul remnant is tied to the body, you must be close to the body to do so. In time, the remnant fades, and is harder and harder to commune with. You may only pick up an obscure word or two, and that's it. Eventually, this too is gone. However, there is still some soul energy left in the body even after that. This energy is what allows necromancers to summon an army of undead, using the soul energy left in the body to power them. The more powerful ones may simply be recently dead, and are using a full power remnant as an energy source. <br />
<br />
Obviously, YMMV. </span>Eric R. Wirsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632409261940844934noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062342071816698329.post-43243733841580972362010-12-10T13:56:00.000-08:002010-12-10T13:57:54.900-08:00Calendar of Andurantha<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">My last post was mostly systemless, so I thought I'd continue this in earnest. I have a world I've been working on for awhile, and this world I'm trying to make as detailed as possible, while having as little to do with Tolkien as I can. Tolkien is a bit old hat these days, and while a large amount of the populace is discovering Middle Earth through Peter Jackson's movies, the influence on D&D is too pronounced, and I'd rather steer away from that. My ideas move more towards the Sword & Sorcery genre, Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, Fritz Leiber, et al. So, without further adieu, I give you the calendar of Andurantha. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">A Note of Explanation: The Men of the Dawn were the first humans in the world. They developed a highly-accomplished society, before betrayal brought about their downfall. Their magic is ancient and some of the most potent known to any race. <br />
<br />
On Andurantha, they talk of time passing in 28-day cycles called "Moons." Each moon represents a particular time of the year.<br />
<br />
Wolf Moon -- Jan<br />
Hunger Moon -- Feb<br />
Sap Moon -- March<br />
Spawning Moon -- March<br />
Bear Moon -- April/May<br />
Flower Moon -- Jun<br />
Rose Moon -- Jul<br />
Thunder Moon -- Aug<br />
Red Moon -- Sep<br />
Harvest Moon -- Oct<br />
Hunter's Moon -- Nov<br />
Frost Moon -- Dec<br />
Long Nights Moon -- Dec<br />
<br />
<b>Wolf Moon</b> - Amid the cold and deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howl hungrily outside.<br />
<br />
<b>Hunger Moon</b> - Since the heaviest snow usually falls during this month, harsh weather conditions make hunting very difficult.<br />
<br />
<b>Sap Moon</b> - As the temperature begins to warm and the ground begins to thaw, earthworm casts appear, heralding the return of the robins. The more northern tribes knew this Moon as the Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signaled the end of winter; or the Crust Moon, because the snow cover becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night. The Sap Moon, marking the time of tapping maple trees, is another variation. It is considered to be the last Moon of Winter.<br />
<br />
<b>Spawning Moon</b> - The herb moss pink, or wild ground phlox, is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring. This is the time that the shad swim upstream to spawn.<br />
<br />
<b>Bear Moon</b> - This is named for the time when bears begin to appear again most frequently. Most bears begin hibernation during the Hunter's Moon and rouse themselves about now. They're usually not holed up for the entire time, but are rarely seen before this Moon. They gain a lot of fat and tuck themselves into a cave or hollow tree. Cubs suckle from mothers in winter as the mom slumbers.<br />
<br />
<b>Flower Moon</b> - In most areas, flowers are abundant everywhere during this time. Thus, the name of this Moon.<br />
<br />
<b>Rose Moon</b> - The start of strawberry picking season. Strawberries are part of the rose family.<br />
<br />
<b>Thunder Moon</b> - Normally the month when the new antlers of buck deer push out of their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur. Thunderstorms are most frequent during this time. <br />
<br />
<b>Red Moon</b> - Sturgeon are most readily caught during this month. As Sha'kal rises, it appears reddish through a sultry haze. <br />
<br />
<b>Harvest Moon</b> - The Moon of the autumn equinox. At the peak of harvest, farmers can work late into the night by the light of the twin moons. Corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and wild rice are now ready for gathering.<br />
<br />
<b>Hunter's Moon</b> - With the leaves falling and the deer fattened, it is time to hunt. Since the fields have been reaped, hunters can easily see foxes and the animals which have come out to glean.<br />
<br />
<b>Frost Moon</b> - This is the time to set beaver traps before the swamps freeze, to ensure a supply of warm winter furs. The beavers are now actively preparing for winter. This is when the frosts set in.<br />
<br />
<b>Long Nights Moon </b>- During this month the winter cold fastens its grip, and nights are at their longest and darkest. The midwinter night is indeed long; the Brothers are above the horizon for a long time. The midwinter full moons have a high trajectory across the sky because they are opposite a low Sun.<br />
<br />
Each time a new moon comes around, the bells in the cities toll to formally announce it. <br />
<br />
Months last 28 days, based on the lunar cycle, also based on a woman's cycle, because women are the Bringers of Life.<br />
<br />
There are 13 months (moons) a year.<br />
<br />
Last day of the year (365th day) is called the Night of the Black Moon, when no moons are visible, the Dark Powers are at their prime, and monsters walk free.<br />
<br />
Seasons are based on the time of year, on agriculture. Since farming and ranching feed the populace, this is natural.<br />
<br />
SEASONS:<br />
<b>Planting</b>...Sap Moon to the Flower Moon<br />
Planting is when the seeds are sown in the fields.<br />
<br />
<b>Growth</b>...Rose Moon to Red Moon <br />
Is when the crops are at full growth.<br />
<br />
<b>Reaping</b>...Harvest Moon to Hunter's Moon<br />
Is when the crops are gathered in the fields.<br />
<br />
<b>Preserving</b>...Frost Moon to Hunger Moon<br />
Is when grain is stored in preparation for the long months ahead.<br />
<br />
THE TWIN MOONS<br />
Sha'kal and Kerrg, the twin moons. Sha'kal and Kerrg were brothers. Sha'kal was good, while Kerrg was evil. They fought constantly for which one would be ascendant, and during the days of the Long Nights Moon, Kerrg captured the sun, and blanketed the world, known as Isryn, with snow. Sha'kal eventually won out, and Kerrg was put in his place, further removed from Isryn. Sha'kal is white, with yellow and black spots some say are the wounds that Kerrg inflicted while they fought. Kerrg is smaller (as an orange is smaller compared to a watermelon) and it is red, like the color of blood, striated with black. Sometimes Kerrg is called "the Blood Moon." The moons collectively are called "the Brothers."<br />
<br />
The names come from the Dawn Times, when the Men of the Dawn were simply scattered tribes.<br />
<br />
FEAST DAYS<br />
Major festivals and feast-days do not fall on a day of the week. Imagine it as: Monday, Tuesday, Midsummer day, Wednesday, Thursday… This gives the festivals an extra emphasis, making them stand apart from the rest of the week. Festivals and feast-days are not normal days, they are important events in the religions and beliefs of Andurantha, and they are far more than an excuse for a day off. Anyone who expects to find people conducting normal business on a festival-day is going to be disappointed. </span></span>Eric R. Wirsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632409261940844934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062342071816698329.post-89481933473339737142010-12-09T16:22:00.000-08:002010-12-09T16:28:01.808-08:00World-building with Blogger Word Verification<span style="font-size: large;">Over on his blog, <a href="http://swordandsanity.blogspot.com/2010/11/blogger-word-verification-as-random.html">Swords Against the Outer Dark</a>, Shane has posed an interesting challenge: take a handful of Blogger word verification captchas and do writeups for each of them in such a way so they could be used in your game. Well, now that things have somewhat settled down here, I'm going to give it a shot.<br />
<br />
The method I used was just to take some words that jumped out at me, and started thinking what they could be. There were some on the list that just didn't work for me (mation) and others that were simply obscene (arshl comes to mind). So...here goes... <br />
<br />
<b>Trised </b>(<i>try-sehd</i>) - The city-state of Trised is one made up of concentric rings, each ring is a ward of the city. Walls between each ward keep them separated, though there is some bleedover at the walls themselves, as populations from one ward spill over into another. The center ring is the castle ward, where the military governor Schor keeps residence. <br />
<br />
<b>Challys </b>(<i>chall-iss</i>) - Challys is a powerful sorcerer who lives on the edge of civilization, near Trised. His tower stands forbidding and alone. No one has actually seen Challys in many seasons, leading some to think he may be dead -- or worse, mutated by his forays into forbidden magicks. Travellers passing near the tower have heard strange noises and seen flashes of light inside the tower's windows. <br />
<br />
<b>Volut </b>(<i>vohl-oot...rhymes with 'droll foot'</i>) - Volut is a star appearing in the constellation Dotholh, and can be seen low in the southern sky in the northern hemisphere during Reaping and early Preserving seasons. (Seasons are based on agriculture: Planting, Growth, Reaping, and Preserving). Named for the warrior-poet from Al-Azyan, known for his poems of love and valor, as well as his military prowess.<br />
<br />
<b>Dotholh </b>(<i>doh-thole</i>) - Means "the lion" and is one of the 12 constellations visible in the night sky over Andurantha. The Lion is stalked by the Hunter, and the Lion is hunting the Stag ("The Forest King"). <br />
<br />
<b>Schor </b>(<i>shor</i>) - General Schor is military governor of Trised. His normally strict, regimented decisions have been erratic of late. This comes shortly after he led an expedition inside the Vault of Orak'vi, leading some to darkly speculate what he may have encountered down there.<br />
<br />
Word list:<br />
trised<br />
challys<br />
coures<br />
flammun<br />
mation<br />
anedgen<br />
unplaha<br />
gible<br />
cansesse<br />
volut<br />
exedd<br />
vipip<br />
arshl<br />
cativerm<br />
orakvi<br />
glyancen<br />
plagi<br />
doriumbe<br />
dotholh<br />
kince<br />
schor<br />
uines<br />
denes<br />
cocancie<br />
phalimpa<br />
reptio<br />
dinne<br />
interst<br />
petsych<br />
woodoco</span>Eric R. Wirsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632409261940844934noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062342071816698329.post-79433462373691935462010-12-07T09:28:00.000-08:002010-12-07T09:28:35.714-08:00Rules Hack - Tactical Combat<span style="font-size: large;">I've been playing <a href="http://www.irontowerstudio.com/">Age of Decadence </a>recently -- the combat demo -- and realizing how fluid the combat system is while still being highly tactical. Combats don't take long at all, and the winner is determined in the same way as in traditional pen n' paper RPGs: a die roll modified by stats and skills. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Age of Decadence itself promises to be a fantastic game, somewhere on the order of Fallout meets Baldur's Gate, and the combat system alone is well done.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
There's something to be said about the tactical environment. While I don't care for 3E's or 4E's version of that, I can think of ways that combat can be made more interesting than just a bonus here or a wearing down of your foe's hit points.<br />
<br />
I began thinking about how to easily port the same system into D&D, and realized that I'd have to radically change the initiative model. Action points in this game can allow multiple attacks.<br />
<br />
Spot Rules:<br />
1) Use DEX to figure out "Action Points," which would be determined by the Ability Score bonus. <br />
<br />
Everyone has at least 1 Action Point. <br />
<br />
AD&D/D&D3:<br />
14-15 2 APs<br />
16-17 3 APs<br />
18 4 APs<br />
<br />
Basic D&D:<br />
For basic, you simply add 1 to the Ability Score bonus.<br />
13-15 2 APs<br />
16-17 3 APs<br />
18 4 APs <br />
<br />
Action points are modified by the following:<br />
Using a light weapon -1<br />
Using a medium weapon -2<br />
Using a heavy weapon -3<br />
<br />
Generally lighter weapons do less damage. Medium weapons do a moderate amount of damage. A heavy weapon usually requires two hands, and does the most damage. <br />
<br />
Wearing armor can slow you down as well:<br />
Wearing no armor 0<br />
Wearing light armor -1 (leather)<br />
Wearing medium armor -2 (chain)<br />
Wearing heavy armor -3 (plate)<br />
<br />
You will never go below 1 AP. <br />
<br />
It costs 1 AP to attack someone. Therefore, someone who has an 18 DEX, uses a light weapon and wears no armor can attack 3 times in a single round. <br />
<br />
2) You may want to double or triple hit point values, to avoid insta-kills in this system.<br />
<br />
3) You have four things to take into account, hitting, critical hits, dodging, and blocking with a shield. <br />
<br />
A <b>critical hit</b> is that telling blow that allows something special, like knocking you down or interrupting your attack.<br />
<b>Dodging</b> is getting out of the way of a blow.<br />
<b>Blocking</b> is putting up your shield in hopes of deflecting a blow.<br />
<br />
A D&D character in this system would rank these four things in order of priority, <b>higher numbers mean you want to focus on that action more.</b> Dodging and Blocking are special in that they're mutually exclusive. A shield will do nothing unless you are blocking, but if your dodge is a higher priority you will dodge instead. You can dodge and hit in the same round, as a defense costs 0 action points. So, a typical character might look like this:<br />
4 Hit<br />
3 Dodge<br />
2 Critical<br />
1 Block<br />
<br />
This means he wants to hit most of all, but he also wants to dodge a lot. Criticals are less important to him, and he won't be using a shield.<br />
<br />
So, to translate these numbers:<br />
To hit: +4 to hit<br />
Dodge: +3 to AC<br />
Critical: 18-20 (20 - Critical Priority)<br />
<br />
Note that "Hit" is only to hit, not damage.<br />
<br />
As a defense is separated from the Action Point system, you might wish to allow Dodge and Block to be performed on a successful Ability Check, rather than having them add to AC.<br />
<br />
4) Next we focus on weapons. Each weapon has something that it does on a critical hit: <br />
<b>Daggers</b> - x1.5 damage (bypassing armor).<br />
<b>Swords </b>- +1 to Critical Strike, x2 damage on critical.<br />
<b>Axes </b>- split shields, if no shield x2 damage.<br />
<b>Hammers </b>- knock your opponent to the ground.<br />
<b>Spears </b>- interrupt attempts to close in.<br />
<b>Bows </b>- +2 to Critical Strike, x1.5 damage on critical.<br />
<b>Crossbows </b>- knock your opponent down.<br />
<b>Thrown Weapons </b>- x1.5 damage (bypassing armor).<br />
<br />
5) One square of movement is going to cost 1 AP. So if you have 4 APs and you move 4 Squares, that's it for that round. You must wait til next round to attack. You may still defend, however, as that takes 0 APs.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Will this flow as well as traditional D&D combat? I dunno. I can't imagine that it would take that much longer to complete. I wonder if it's workable...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</span>Eric R. Wirsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632409261940844934noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062342071816698329.post-67227593366036616612010-11-26T00:19:00.000-08:002010-11-26T00:22:29.671-08:00Down in the Dungeon<span style="font-size: large;">Over at <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%20%20http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2010/11/exploring-dungeon.html">Grognardia</a>, James Maliszewski authored a post about an art book from 1981 called "Down in the Dungeon." I have zero memories of it, but I love what has been said about it. I feel almost as if I know it, can almost feel the pages beneath my fingers, and smell that musty smell that old books found in used bookstores so often possess.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Well, I googled it, trying to figure out if there were a way to purchase it through Amazon, perhaps, or eBay. And I found an interesting item online:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The <a href="http://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2010/10/down-in-dungeon.html">Monster Brains blog</a> has posted 34 images from the book. They're interesting renderings, if a bit dated. The art in Down in the Dungeon is, on the whole, about as good as the cover of the first edition AD&D Monster Manual.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">For those of you who have seen the book, enjoy the trip down memory lane. For those of you who own the book, well, this post does you little good, and I apologize. For those of you who have never seen the book, hearken back to a time when gaming was still young, and fertile imaginations ran wild. Enjoy! </span>Eric R. Wirsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632409261940844934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062342071816698329.post-34304055234846888222010-11-25T23:50:00.000-08:002010-11-25T23:50:40.603-08:00The Gamorrean Guards -- Inspired by Orcs?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-size: large;">When I was younger, I was particularly struck by an image in a storybook I owned about Return of the Jedi. Despite the disappointing movie overall, there was a pic of a Gamorrean Guard. The Guard himself reminded me of nothing more than a classic 1e orc!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Now, Gygax himself has gone on record as saying that he didn't like the pig-faced orcs, but nonetheless it's an iconic image -- one that I didn't like 2e and 3e changing, thank you very much.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">For anyone who doubts what I'm saying, here's a pic of the Gamorrean Guard:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTAuIstgkMbkGYmCL4WEpgMZM8ePjqaFlpEyzH0KvgMgN_zhRWAU-USK0ljBPaJzmUirPZkipmkvGdIdVWODEFF4v12nvrnjTqoFfs17W5qrlY6D2D1wpfFpnEKAvtuXj6yuiXoSjVdg/s1600/Gamorrean+Guard.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTAuIstgkMbkGYmCL4WEpgMZM8ePjqaFlpEyzH0KvgMgN_zhRWAU-USK0ljBPaJzmUirPZkipmkvGdIdVWODEFF4v12nvrnjTqoFfs17W5qrlY6D2D1wpfFpnEKAvtuXj6yuiXoSjVdg/s400/Gamorrean+Guard.png" width="246" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And here's a pic from the first edition AD&D Monster Manual:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs-Dl3tzZd7N3nAcAELuo4QB3luWmGHh9Sc3UmiyTFClwiTL2xMIeWnHBfW16AS4HFsYWwvcHouf_thSAdah30pzUakukwg4LHodcPs41HsBEC34YVN7gTM_we8vzgy_F5IytnN6YCQKk/s1600/1e+orcs.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs-Dl3tzZd7N3nAcAELuo4QB3luWmGHh9Sc3UmiyTFClwiTL2xMIeWnHBfW16AS4HFsYWwvcHouf_thSAdah30pzUakukwg4LHodcPs41HsBEC34YVN7gTM_we8vzgy_F5IytnN6YCQKk/s320/1e+orcs.png" width="256" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Note that for Star Wars, the G. Guard seems to be rather low tech, something you would find in a more medieval/Hyborian Age culture. What do you think?</span>Eric R. Wirsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632409261940844934noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062342071816698329.post-70003946731145597422010-11-25T23:30:00.000-08:002010-11-25T23:30:26.303-08:00Happy Turkey Day everyone!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcj4IlrCe95anKAmfDwU9GS6a-SpLI5hzCLaPjz2kOLuFnxSaEQWsdGKoDn-G4ujVBK0hdvbdQOE_Qu-jxs2w6iutfGbMqKrZfPdg6mQduSGY5YgsjnTPn3jFRgSlE-T84ZyxKSlUTCnM/s1600/turkey+girl.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcj4IlrCe95anKAmfDwU9GS6a-SpLI5hzCLaPjz2kOLuFnxSaEQWsdGKoDn-G4ujVBK0hdvbdQOE_Qu-jxs2w6iutfGbMqKrZfPdg6mQduSGY5YgsjnTPn3jFRgSlE-T84ZyxKSlUTCnM/s640/turkey+girl.png" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Turkey Dance, errr...what?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Eric R. Wirsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632409261940844934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062342071816698329.post-3465717425432283792010-11-14T01:57:00.000-08:002010-11-14T01:57:07.146-08:00Race As Class<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Because I love the occasional hot-button topic, I'll be weighing in on the "race as class" debate. For those of you unfamiliar with the debate, there are two schools of thought in the D&D community: </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">One favors the idea of "race as class," that is, if you're a non-human such as a dwarf or an elf, your character type is automatically accounted for and the ability to fight or cast spells is a racial ability. There is no selection of Elven thief, as you are automatically either a mage or a warrior. </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Another favors selection of race and class. That is, you can take a Dwarven Cleric, you're not automatically a warrior-type simply because you chose to play a Dwarf. This would be the more familiar type to modern day players. </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We will now contrast how the various editions handle races and classes:</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">OD&D</b><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The LBBs (little brown books) seem to indicate that if you were one of the non-human races, then you were already in a "class:" </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /></span><blockquote><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">There are three (3) main classes of characters:<br />
Fighting-Men<br />
Magic-Users<br />
Clerics<br />
<br />
<b>Fighting Men</b> includes the characters of elves and dwarves and even hobbits. <b>Magic-Users</b> includes only men and elves. <b>Clerics</b> are limited to men only. All non-human players are restricted in some aspects and gifted in others. This will be dealt with in the paragraphs pertaining to each non-human type.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is interesting to note that OD&D never defines the term "class." The LBBs also do not use the term "race." The only idea of race that creeps in is that the non-human player's choice plays differently depending on whether you select Elf or Dwarf, and the Dwarf has a level limitation</span>.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">D&D (Holmes Blue Book)</b><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In Eric Holmes' edition of Dungeons & Dragons (blue book, cover by David C. Sutherland III), the trend of using race as class appears to continue. I say *appears* because the one reference to race on page 7 reads: "the four basic classes and races (human, elven, dwarven, halflingish)..." But the classes and races are all lumped together in the experience tables, and page 6 says "any human character can be a fighting man and all halflings and dwarves are members of the fighter class, unless they opt to be thieves." </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The terms "class" and "race" are not defined. There is a third way Holmes refers to characters, and that is "character type" (page 7), indicating class and race, which perhaps is the term that should have been used in later editions. </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">AD&D1e</b><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">AD&D hardcover Player's Handbook, first edition, is the first clear delineation between class and race. There you can be one of quite a few races, and you first select your race, then you select your class. There's also quite a bit of fiddly bits that make little sense, like level limits for non-humans. But this has been torn apart in many, many magazine articles, so we won't tackle this here. The interesting thing about the classes is that they now had "minimum ability scores" that you had to roll to be certain classes (like the Paladin). If you didn't roll it, you had no chance to be that class. </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Basic/Expert D&D (Moldvay) & BECMI (Mentzer)</b><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The simple race as class structure can be seen here, hearkening back to the LBBs and Holmes. The trend continued in Mentzer's BECMI. In contrast to AD&D, Moldvay had a "prime requisite," which meant the highest ability score you had was used to help determine class selection. </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">AD&D2e</b><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">AD&D2e was, for the most part, a cleaned up revised version of AD&D1e, and the final nail in the coffin for any royalties Gygax might have received. Race and Class are separate entities, and for the most part resemble their 1e counterparts. The main difference was in the fantastic settings created for 2e, introduced "Kits" which could be special classes designed for a specific race (like Elven BladeSinger or Dwarven Chanter). </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">D&D 3.X</b><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The 3.X naming convention is strange, since its simplified ability bonus tables remind one of B/X or BECMI, but Race and Class are distinct and separate, like AD&D. Eventually 3.X would ape 2e by doing "racial kits" (like the Dwarven BattleRager). Dropping the "Advanced" moniker sent a clear message that this was the only Dungeons & Dragons we would see from WotC, and that B/X and BECMI were effectively unsupported. </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
D&D 4.X</b><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Does the same thing as 3.X, races and classes are discrete groups, and one must select a race and a class. </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My take:</b><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I never had a problem with "race as class" because I'm aware of one of the dictionary definitions. From Dictionary.com:</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>27.</b> to place or arrange in a class; classify: to class justice with wisdom.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>28. </b> to take or have a place in a particular class: those who class as believers.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The word comes from the Latin "classis," which meant class, fleet, division, army, etc. So we can infer that the D&D "class" is merely a grouping, and the only thing in the dictionary that implies profession is class as social standing or caste, hardly an ironclad case. So the snarkiness that I have observed (and been the target of) could have been avoided simply by cracking a dictionary. </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Do I prefer race as class? For some things it works well. It gels nicely with the simplified structure of B/X. In the "clone" I'm working on, I have them separate as of this writing, though I'm thinking of leaning toward the race as class model and giving them different "builds" for race-specific classes. Time will tell...</span></span>Eric R. Wirsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632409261940844934noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062342071816698329.post-90863286356613755932010-11-09T20:42:00.000-08:002010-11-09T20:59:04.644-08:00Why I Hate Energy Drain<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Over at <a href="http://bxblackrazor.blogspot.com/2010/11/why-i-love-energy-drain.html">B/X Blackrazor</a> there is post about how the author loves Energy Drain. Energy Drain is one of the little banes of my existence as both GM and Player. I don't agree with the rules for it at all. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It's simply not conceptual. Why should I lose my skills because my life force is gone? Simple fact: Energy Drain is stealing your life force. It is not <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retrograde_amnesia">retrograde amnesia</a> affecting <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procedural_memory">procedural memory</a>. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It's also a pain in the patootie. If you reduce someone's level, it could affect attack rolls, saving throws, thieving skills, class abilities, and spells. That's a lot of bookkeeping! </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
I finally figured an easy way to do Energy Drain (even easier than losing a level) and have it be true to what I feel Energy Drain actually is.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Make it a stackable -1 modifier to every roll. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Even easier than losing levels, and more effective. Someone drained 3 times would be at Energy Drain -3. </span><span style="font-size: large;">You may only be drained a number of times equal to your level. If the penalty from Drain is equal to or greater than your Level, you are dead. Energy Drain can only be "cured" by a Restoration spell or potion. Since those spells are not only high level in my world but it is necessary to find them in ruins, tombs, etc, it would take awhile to get that life force back. </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Players whose characters were drained would write it on their character sheets, along with the penalty (e.g., "Energy Drain -2"). In the case of percentiles (frex for thief skills), it would be -5%. <br />
<br />
Another option is to have the victim of an Energy Drain make a CON Check (8 or less + CON Modifier) 24 hours after being drained. A successful Check means a -1 penalty is gone. Other penalties still remain, so if you were drained to -3, and you healed one, you'd still have a -2 to deal with. Only one Check can be made each day (or if you want to be cruel, each week).</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Obviously, YMMV. I'm messing with a rule that's been in place for nearly 30 years. But still, the rule has bothered me for about that long... </span></div>Eric R. Wirsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632409261940844934noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062342071816698329.post-57348744105547292312010-11-09T20:23:00.000-08:002010-11-09T20:23:36.224-08:00Abstract vs. Heroic Combat<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Something that D&D has done in violation of the fiction that inspired it is retain a combat system that doesn't give you much of a "feel" for combat. Technically, you can try anything, but the RAW (rules as written) DMs were more than likely going to either (A) not let you or (B) give you a high chance of failure. </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Older editions seemed to lean towards a more abstract combat system. That's great, but I don't want to read that Conan quickly dispatched his foes, I want to read about *how* he did it. </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Recent editions have put a premium on tactical combat. Move this much, gain this </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">modifier, etc, has become a standard part of modern iterations of D&D. But, to me, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">this still doesn't fit the source material. </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">What I'm talking about is Pulp Combat. Pulp combat isn't about kewl powerz. Pulp </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">combat isn't necessarily saving someone's bacon, though it's certainly possible. Pulp </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">combat, in this context, has to do with emulation of some of the fantastic things we </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">see heroes doing in fiction. Think Robert E. Howard, Alexandre Dumas, or David </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Gemmell (for a more modern take) and you pretty much have what I want.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So, how to make combat more pulpy? Well, I started in my retro-clone by adding maneuvers that you can do in combat. I designed them with two assumptions in mind: 1) pluses and minuses suck. 2) I want results *now*.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Now, I'm sure we're out of grade school and can add +1 or subtract 2 or whatever. But I got tired of that schtick in 2nd Edition, and I sure didn't like it in 3rd. So I made it go away. Too, I wanted results that would let the combat march on normally. I don't want a 45+ minute combat. (Awfully demanding, aren't I?) So here's an example maneuver I designed:</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">KNOCK FOE OFF-BALANCE - This is a powerful blow designed to move weapons and shield out of the way. STR vs STR. If successful the attacker can attempt to follow up with a quick attack before the defender can get his shield/blade back into position.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">STR vs. STR is a from a rule I devised called "Ability Checks." The check is 8-, and the Ability Score Modifier adds to it. So if you have a +4 Modifier your Check would be 12- on a d20. In cases where an opposed Check is needed, the higher roll wins (as long as it falls within the range of the Check). If the person above rolled a 13, for example, his Check would fail. </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So, quickly put, the attacker and defender roll their STR Checks. If the attacker wins, the attacker can try to quickly attack and take advantage of this, and the defender cannot parry or block. If the defender wins, the attack was wasted. </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It's quick and easy. Here's another:</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">THROWING YOUR FOE -- You have to win a turn of combat to do this (i.e., do damage, bind arms, etc). You lift your foe over your head, and throw him into one or more foes to stop them. They must make DEX Checks to see if they're knocked down.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">No zillion arcane modifiers, just the ability to quickly knock down more than one foe at once. </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Or how about this one?</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">INTERRUPT ATTACK -- DEX Check vs foe's attack roll. If DEX Check succeeds, then foe's attack is disrupted and no damage is done. DEX Check failure means the attack hits.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">These are just maneuvers that I see all the time in fiction, in comics, in films, and for some reason haven't made them into many, if any, game systems. Some might think that if you include maneuvers, you infringe upon creativity. I don't believe that -- a list of combat maneuvers with accompany text on how to model them can be a springboard for all sorts of maneuvers. You can simply roll to hit, but why when you can do cool things like throw sand in your foe's face, fast-talk your foe into making a mistake, bash through your opponent's parry or perform a Leaping Attack (think James Cameron's Avatar). </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Again, if you don't like all that, you can simply describe your action and roll to hit. But I don't ever want to hear you say "I roll to hit."</span></span>Eric R. Wirsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632409261940844934noreply@blogger.com1