Chronicles of Arcania: B/X Homebrew game.

Game Master Peet

Lost in the desert! The party gets separated from a desert caravan during a sandstorm. Parched and starving, they stumble on a ruined city in the middle of the desert. The pyramid at the center of the city seems mostly intact, and they find a secret door leading inside...

Tier 1 Map | Tier 2 Map | Tier 3 Map | Tier 4 Map | Tactical Map | Party Loot Spreadsheet
FIRE BEETLE NEST MAP

Initiative: Ana, Brathas.


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Dark Archive

Okay guys, this is the Official recruitment thread for the campaign.

The initial module will be a re-vamp of the old B4: The Lost City module. The campaign may continue after the module is complete; that's up to the survivors.

The game is set in my homebrew variant of Mystara called Arcania. Arcania is similar to Mystara but humans have not spread nearly as far and most of the world is dominated by non-human races.

What you need to know: The characters have hired on as guards for an annual merchant caravan that plans to cross the great desert to reach the fabled Golden City beyond. At the start of the adventure all characters are assumed to know one another (though not necessarily well) and have been travelling together for several weeks.

Figure I will look for six characters. The module is flexible in number of characters, but too many gets unwieldy.

Dark Archive

Character Generation:

Step 1: Roll 4d6 (drop lowest) six times, IN ORDER (STR, INT WIS, DEX, CON, CHA) for your scores.

Step 2: Pick a class (but keep in mind the options below which might influence your decision).

Step 3: You may swap your highest ability score with the score of a prime requisite for your class if you wish.

Step 4: Then you may reduce any of STR, INT, or WIS (as long as they are not a prime requisite) by multiples of 2 points to a minimum of 9 for that score; for each 2 points such a score is reduced, increase a prime requisite by 1 (to a maximum of 18).

Prime requisites by class are:
* Fighter: STR
* Magician: INT Always thought "magic-user" was a weak name for a class.
* Cleric: WIS
* Thief: DEX
* Dwarf: STR and CON
* Halfling: STR and DEX
* Elf: STR and INT (but STR may not be higher than INT)

(yes, demi-human races are classes in BECMI)

I have house rules for a lot of other classes if there is demand for them. Not all of them would be appropriate for this adventure. But
Consult me if you would like to play any of these:

Other Classes:

Humans:
* Shaman (WIS)
* Berserker (CON)
* Knight (CHA)
* Paladin (CHA)
* Hakomon (INT)
* Hunter (DEX)
* Dervish (DEX)
* Corsair (DEX)
* Mystic (WIS)

Demi-Humans:
* Rakasta (DEX and CHA)
* Lupin (STR and DEX)
* Lizard-Man (STR and CON)
* Gnome (DEX and CON)
* Alphatian (INT)
* Half-Orc (STR and CON)
* Half-Elf (WIS and DEX)

I would not recommend Knight, Paladin, Hunter, Dervish, Corsair, Rakasta, or Half-Elf for this adventure, but they do (particularly Hunter and Half-Elf) have abilities that could be useful if the campaign continues beyond the original module.

* Hit Points: all characters get an extra racial hit die which is 1d4 except for dwarves (and other races with CON as a prerequisite) who get 1d6. HD are rolled but reroll ones at chargen (not at later levels).

* Money: Start with 3d6x10 gp for all classes. I updated the equipment list a bit and some things used prices that are more AD&D (such as armor which has more variety). Players will have the opportunity to buy a pregenerated "fast pack" to save time picking equipment.

Link to Full Character Generation Rules

Dark Archive

FYI for those of you who are new, this campaign will use a homebrew ruleset based on the old B/X and BECMI rules. We currently have three or four characters rolled up but we could use two more.
It was originally discussed in this thread: http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2sz75?Interest-check-BX-BECMI-game

Post any questions you have about the game here.


Pathfinder Adventure Subscriber

Dot. If there is still an opening when I get back to my books this weekend.


Black Dow's submission in progress

Hit Points: 1d6 ⇒ 5
Bonus Racial Hit Points: 1d4 ⇒ 1
Re-rolled Racial Hit Points?: 1d4 ⇒ 1 ARgggghhhh!
Re-Re-rolled Racial Hit Points?: 1d4 ⇒ 1 Right. The dicebots are simply taking the urine... wee feckers...
Final Re-rolled Racial Hit Points?: 1d4 ⇒ 4 ...

Money: 3d6 ⇒ (1, 6, 1) = 8 x 10 = 80GP

Dark Archive

Hey guys.

Working on the equipment section - just have to set up tables. Magic section should be good to go soon after as there is only one table that I can think of in my original document.

Character Background:
You don't need an elaborate background here. For the first adventure, anyway, you won't need to worry about your enemies in the old thieves' guild tracking you down.

Mainly you need two things:
#1: What kind of environment were you raised in?
#2: Why did you choose a life of adventure over "staying home?"

Also don't forget Alignment.

Campaign World:
My Map of the "known World" section of Arcania is not complete, but here's most of it: ARCANIA MAP. The map is hexless (I thought it looked nicer that way) but you can see where the hexes are and they are about 60 miles per hex.

Some discussion of the world can be found here: ARCANIA on MYSTARA FORUMS

Dark Archive

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Thylla Vistorix wrote:
Black Dow's submission in progress...

Thylla looks fairly solid. Decent WIS plus a CON and STR bonus.

CON applies to your racial hit die so... 11 HP at 1st level. Seems downright decadent.

I recommend you copypasta the cleric abilities onto your sheet, maybe in a spoiler tag. You will note that under my rules you are able to 'lay on hands' to heal 1d4 damage a day. So you are not totally without healing, even though you don't get spells at 1st level.

You should also note that you do start with XP. This corrects a bit of a math problem the original XP system had. I considered rewriting all the tables but this seemed the more elegant solution.

Dark Archive

Equipment Rule document is now up here:
EQUIPMENT

In addition, players can choose from one of the following "fast packs" to speed up equipment purchases.

PACK A (39 GP) includes:
Backpack, 1 Large Sack, Lantern, 5 Oil Flasks, Tinderbox, 12 Iron Spikes, Small Hammer, Waterskin, 1 week Normal Rations.

PACK B (35 GP) includes:
Backpack, 2 Large Sacks, 12 Torches, 3 Oil Flasks, Tinderbox, 10' Pole, 50' Rope, Waterskin, Mirror, 10 Bandages, 1 week Normal Rations.

PACK C (42 GP) includes:
Backpack, 4 Small Sacks, Holy Symbol (cleric) OR Thieves' tools (thief) OR 1 Vial of Holy Water (anyone else), 12 Iron Spikes, 50' Rope, Waterskin, 1 week Normal Rations.

Players are not required to buy a fast pack. However, all players should start with 1 week worth of normal rations and at least 1 waterskin.


Alphatian humm sounds fun


Well here goes my rolls
STR: 4d6 ⇒ (4, 5, 4, 2) = 15 13
INT: 4d6 ⇒ (4, 6, 4, 5) = 19 15
WIS: 4d6 ⇒ (6, 6, 5, 1) = 18 17
DEX: 4d6 ⇒ (5, 1, 5, 2) = 13 12
CON: 4d6 ⇒ (1, 2, 2, 3) = 8 7 --- YIKES!!
CHA: 4d6 ⇒ (1, 6, 5, 3) = 15 14

Looks like a weak and unwise dwarf to me.
STR 15
INT 11
WIS 7
DEX 12
CON 17
CHA 14


Johnny "Razor" Macomb wrote:

Well here goes my rolls

[dice=STR]4d6 13
[dice=INT]4d6 15
[dice=WIS]4d6 17
[dice=DEX]4d6 12
[dice=CON]4d6 7 --- YIKES!!
[dice=CHA]4d6 14

What is the rule on averaging two Prime stats do you round up?

Questioning if a dwarf which is better
STR 14 INT 13 +1 +1
or
STR 15 INT 11 +2 0

Only matters if (14 + 17) /2 = 16
if it rounds down to 15
Then no question need 15 STR.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Or these stats could be played as an Elf
With
STR 15 +2
INT 17 +3
WIS 11 +0
DEX 12 +0
CON 7 -1
CHA 14 +1
--------------------------------------------------------------
Willing to play as either a Dwarf or an Elf depending on party needs. The elf would be a bit squishy. Need to see the Combat section to know if the elf is playable.


forgot to roll for gp
GP: 3d6 ⇒ (2, 5, 4) = 11x10

Sorry for the errant Alias. I'm setting one up for both the dwarf and the elf using my stats if that's ok.


Roll for HP
1d8 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
1d6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9


Rolls:

STR: 4d6 ⇒ (4, 4, 2, 6) = 16 - 2 = 14
DEX: 4d6 ⇒ (5, 1, 4, 2) = 12 - 1 = 11
CON: 4d6 ⇒ (5, 5, 5, 2) = 17 - 2 = 15
INT: 4d6 ⇒ (3, 1, 6, 4) = 14 - 1 = 13
WIS: 4d6 ⇒ (2, 3, 3, 4) = 12 - 2 = 10
CHA: 4d6 ⇒ (6, 6, 3, 5) = 20 - 3 = 17

- Going for LUPIN (STR or DEX, in my case STR)
- Swapping CHA with STR

Finish with

STR 17
DEX 11
CON 15
INT 13
WIS 10
CHA 14

I'm not sure if my "class" (Lupin) would allow me to reduce my CHA to enhance my DEX or CON.

I need more info on the Lupins! I chose it because I imagined they'd be like werewolves or wolf-people and I like the idea :)


Archlich B/X has the stats in a different order.
STR 14
INT 11
WIS 15
DEX 13
CON 10
CHA 17

Not sure if LC DM is going to make you stick to that order or not but thought it was worth bringing up. And a note the classes listed with 2 PR its AND not OR meaning that a high number in both is required.
I think you could do Lupin still but would need to switch CHA with DEX
not STR. So without adjustments you would have
STR 14
INT 11
WIS 15
DEX 17
CON 10
CHA 13

You could lower WIS or INT to increase either STR or DEX at a 2 for 1 rate. I would suggest bumping STR up at least 1.


Thanks Rocks! Following this list, I'd end up with

STR 14
INT 11
WIS 15
DEX 17
CON 10
CHA 13

Removing 4 from WIS and adding 2 to STR

STR 16
INT 11
WIS 11
DEX 17
CON 10
CHA 13

I'd love to bump my CON more, but it's shaping nicely already :)

I'm still curious about the Lupins, though.


Modifers are slightly different as well so you may want to only do the one bump.
STR 15 WIS 13 gives you a +2 mod and a +1 mod.
while
STR 16 WIS 11 gives you a +2 mod and a +0 mod.

To figure your P.R.experience bonus you take the average of the two rounded down.
15+17= 16 = 10%
same as
16+17= 16 = 10%

So the second bump takes away the WIS bonus for no immediate gain. The 16 in STR won't matter until you find magic to raise the stat.


Alphatian cant find the Alphatian rules GM, so could be magic user if rules only go for that.

STR: 4d6 ⇒ (3, 5, 1, 5) = 14 =11 then [-4+2int]=11
DEX: 4d6 ⇒ (1, 1, 5, 3) = 10 =9
CON: 4d6 ⇒ (6, 2, 2, 2) = 12 =10
INT: 4d6 ⇒ (3, 6, 6, 3) = 18 =15[+1 from Str then =18
WIS: 4d6 ⇒ (6, 2, 3, 6) = 17 =15 then [-2+1int]=13
CHA: 4d6 ⇒ (5, 4, 5, 3) = 17 =14

Dark Archive

OK, let's go through these one at a time.

@ Johnny Razor/Rocks Ahead:
Are these both your Aliases? Or are these two different people?

RocksAhead wrote:
What is the rule on averaging two Prime stats do you round up?

When calculating your bonus to experience? You round down. Generally you will round down unless the rules say otherwise.

RocksAhead wrote:
Questioning if a dwarf which is better

My own opinion in this case is that a Dwarf would be the best bet for you.

1. You can swap the 17 WIS for your CON 7. Playing any class with a CON 7 is tough. This is the main reason I would recommend it.
2. You could dump your 15 INT by 6 points to boost your 13 STR to 16.

Playing an elf is something I would usually recommend only if you have a very MAD set of rolls. Having no DEX bonus and a CON penalty would make it really hard.

Dark Archive

The Archlich wrote:
I'm still curious about the Lupins, though.

@ Archlich:

Are you familiar with Lupins from the original B/X/BECMI material?

Lupins are a dog-like race that are generally lawful. Since they are lawful I figured they ought to be a playable race.

The class is basically like a fighter only they have a limited scent ability. They can also bite, but not as an extra attack in addition to weapons.

Lupins resent the suggestion by other races that they are somehow "beast-men." They do not like to use their bite for this reason, and prefer to carry weapons. They also hate werewolves and really resent any implication that they are werewolves themselves. For this reason a Lupin must always start with a silver weapon. Most Lupins hail from Lupinheim in the far north, but they do travel. Some come through the mountain passes to the south where they work as mercenaries in Glantri and Darokin. Lupinheim itself is a pretty primitive country. They can speak other tongues normally, but their own language is kind of "growly," so base your character name on that.

Lupins are an "expanded" race and thus are not in the main document. I'll send you the rules for them shortly.

Decent picture of a Lupin-like race
The original pic of a Lupin from the BECMI creature catalog

One other thing: instead of dropping stats to end up with INT 11 WIS 11, why not go with INT 9 WIS 13?

Dark Archive

GM_Panic wrote:
Alphatian cant find the Alphatian rules GM, so could be magic user if rules only go for that.

@ GM_Panic:

Are you familiar with Alphatians from the original material?

Alphatians are an "expanded" race and thus are not in the main document.

In Arcania, their empire is not as expansive or old as it once was, but the culture is mostly the same. If you haven't read the original material, the main thing to know is that Alphatians originally migrated from another world or dimension, and they look very human, but in their culture magic is king. Non-magical Alphatians are generated just like humans.

The Alphatian class is basically like a magician with a twist.

The upside is that Alphatians get a magic "specialty" starting at first level. This means there is one spell per level that they can cast spontaneously (or it is added to their spells known if they choose sorcery).

The down side is their hit die is only 1d3 instead of 1d4. Yes, I know that hurts. You have to trade off something.

There are three groups of Alphatians and you would have to choose one:

* High Alphatians have the Air specialty. At 1st level their special spell is control air (which can be used in a variety of ways, including as feather fall). High Alphatians have pale almost bluish skin and pale hair.
* Low Aphatians have the Lightning Specialty. At 1st level this basically means magic missile, only if used this way the missiles manifest as lightning (and thus would be useless against a blue dragon, for instance). Low Alphatians have coppery skin and dark, usually black hair.
* Flaemens have the fire specialty. At 1st level this means control fire, which has a variety of uses. Flaemens usually have ruddy complexions and red hair. They are actually from Glantri (though most Glantri magicians are regular human ones).

You will note that Control Air and Control Fire are not on the original spell list. I have modified the spell list considerably to get rid of "useless" spells and make other spells more useful or flexible. The magic rules should be up shortly.

I will send you a PM with the text for the Alphatian class.

IMPORTANT: BECMI uses a different order for stats. This is actually good for you. you raw rolls will be:

STR: 4d6 ⇒ (3, 5, 1, 5) = 13
INT: 4d6 ⇒ (1, 1, 5, 3) = 09
WIS: 4d6 ⇒ (6, 2, 2, 2) = 10
DEX: 4d6 ⇒ (3, 6, 6, 3) = 15
CON: 4d6 ⇒ (6, 2, 3, 6) = 15
CHA: 4d6 ⇒ (5, 4, 5, 3) = 14

You would be able to swap CON or DEX for INT if you want to play an Alphatian or Magician. On the other hand, this might inspire you to play something else. It's up to you. Dropping STR to 9 and Bumping DEX to 17 would make a very decent thief.


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Lost City DM wrote:
The Archlich wrote:
I'm still curious about the Lupins, though.

@ Archlich:

Are you familiar with Lupins from the original B/X/BECMI material?

Lupins are a dog-like race that are generally lawful. Since they are lawful I figured they ought to be a playable race.

The class is basically like a fighter only they have a limited scent ability. They can also bite, but not as an extra attack in addition to weapons.

Lupins resent the suggestion by other races that they are somehow "beast-men." They do not like to use their bite for this reason, and prefer to carry weapons. They also hate werewolves and really resent any implication that they are werewolves themselves. For this reason a Lupin must always start with a silver weapon. Most Lupins hail from Lupinheim in the far north, but they do travel. Some come through the mountain passes to the south where they work as mercenaries in Glantri and Darokin. Lupinheim itself is a pretty primitive country. They can speak other tongues normally, but their own language is kind of "growly," so base your character name on that.

Lupins are an "expanded" race and thus are not in the main document. I'll send you the rules for them shortly.

Decent picture of a Lupin-like race
The original pic of a Lupin from the BECMI creature catalog

One other thing: instead of dropping stats to end up with INT 11 WIS 11, why not go with INT 9 WIS 13?

They also showed up in the Red Steel Campaign Setting (which was free on the WOTC site many moons ago, not sure if it is still there). It also took place in Mystara too as a fyi.

Congrats on getting those interest, Lost City DM; good things come to those who put up their Char Creation stuff. ;)

Dark Archive

Here4daFreeSwag wrote:
They also showed up in the Red Steel Campaign Setting (which was free on the WOTC site many moons ago, not sure if it is still there). It also took place in Mystara too as a fyi.

They did indeed! Red Steel was a part of Mystara and fell under BECMI. They also appeared in module X2: Castle Amber.

One other thing about Lupins: they can speak the language of Gnolls, which is not that different than their own. But they don't really like gnolls and think they give dog-people a bad rap.

Dark Archive

Basically complete characters we have so far:

Thylla Vistorix, a lawful female cleric, and
Ferrous Grimgond, a neutral male dwarf.

Other incomplete characters:

Archlich plans to play a Lupin
GM_Panic might play an Alphatian/Magician
Scranford is a maybe but it looks like he will play a thief

Players from previous thread who haven't reported in yet:

Helaman might play a thief or magician, but has other decent options
Spazmodeus hasn't chosen a class but has a lot of options.

With seven potential players, I'm going to cap the recruiting for now and if anyone else is interested, they can be on deck as alternates in case someone drops out, but won't be part of the original party. We'll try to go on a first-come, first served basis after that.

Dark Archive

Okay magic rules are up here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KaTBkBnG2QTc1MCEaOjLYdTXMC1aemnuWLLZXOe V69Y/edit?usp=sharing

Document includes general Magic Rules plus 1st level spells. 2nd level spells are there but I still have to format that section.


Lost City DM wrote:

OK, let's go through these one at a time.

@ Johnny Razor/Rocks Ahead:
Are these both your Aliases? Or are these two different people?

Yes sorry Razor is my alias in another game. RocksAhead is my username. Ferrous Grimgond would be my alias in this game.

I looked into the elf and yeah that CON roll limited me I think.
Lost City DM wrote:
You could dump your 15 INT by 6 points to boost your 13 STR to 16.

What would be the benefit of going up to STR 16 there doesn't seem to be much of a gain at this time. On the other hand I don't lose anything going to 9 INT. I think it works for my dwarf to be strong and tough but not that bright or wise.


Ferrous now has his purchases listed.
Are we doing encumbrance by weight or armor and shield only?


2d4 ⇒ (2, 1) = 3 HP
1d4 ⇒ 4 HP1 HP 8

3d6 ⇒ (3, 1, 5) = 9 GP 90


Somehow my purchases didn't get saved to my profile. Will update later.

Dark Archive

For the record, guys... if you want to pool your money before the campaign begins, I will allow this. The thieves and magic users can offer some of their gold to the classes that need armor, if they have extra cash.

BTW, might as well spend most, if not all of your gold.

Ferrous Grimgond wrote:
Are we doing encumbrance by weight or armor and shield only?

Yes, we'll do weight as well. Easy to do here on the boards. That way people won't abuse things by carrying a hundred weapons.

Dark Archive

Update: Basically complete characters we have so far:

Thylla Vistorix, a lawful female cleric, and
Ferrous Grimgond, a neutral male dwarf.
Montague, a chaotic male thief.

Other incomplete characters:

Archlich plans to play a Lupin
GM_Panic might play an Alphatian/Magician

Players from previous thread who haven't reported in yet:

Helaman might play a thief or magician, but has other decent options
Spazmodeus hasn't chosen a class but has a lot of options. withdrawn.

Dark Archive

Ferrous Grimgond wrote:
Lost City DM wrote:
You could dump your 15 INT by 6 points to boost your 13 STR to 16.
What would be the benefit of going up to STR 16 there doesn't seem to be much of a gain at this time. On the other hand I don't lose anything going to 9 INT. I think it works for my dwarf to be strong and tough but not that bright or wise.

That's part of what I was thinking, but also, I won't go into too much detail yet but it will be possible to increase scores at higher levels. This is my own addition to the system.

Dark Archive

Guys, FYI I will probably not be able to post again this weekend until Sunday night. It's Thanksgiving here in Canada.


Sorry guys to much on so doing to pass this time, looks a great game, best of luck playing it.

:)


I'd like to try my luck if there is still room. I always like a chance to play an old-school game.

Str: 4d6 ⇒ (1, 2, 5, 5) = 13 12
Int: 4d6 ⇒ (6, 3, 4, 6) = 19 16
Wis: 4d6 ⇒ (6, 2, 1, 6) = 15 13
Dex: 4d6 ⇒ (2, 6, 5, 3) = 16 14
Con: 4d6 ⇒ (4, 6, 4, 5) = 19 15
Chr: 4d6 ⇒ (5, 3, 1, 2) = 11 10

Wow, nice. If Panic is out, this character should make a good magician. I'll think about if the Alphatian works too with the Con bonus.


Been thinking about this and I don't know if my dwarf will work as he gets no bonus to hit under the home rules using lowest of Dec or Str for one handed weapons. Not sure that will work for a front line fighter. That house rule makes it so dwarfs need 3 high stats to be effective fighters. STR CON and DEX.

Grand Lodge

4d6 ⇒ (4, 1, 2, 5) = 12 Str 11
4d6 ⇒ (6, 4, 6, 1) = 17 Int 16
4d6 ⇒ (6, 6, 2, 4) = 18 Wis 16
4d6 ⇒ (6, 6, 6, 1) = 19 Dex 18
4d6 ⇒ (3, 1, 3, 4) = 11 Con 10
4d6 ⇒ (6, 1, 2, 4) = 13 Cha 12

Takes 6 points from Int and boosts str to 14 (Prime req)

4d6 ⇒ (4, 1, 2, 5) = 12 Str 14
4d6 ⇒ (6, 4, 6, 1) = 17 Int 10
4d6 ⇒ (6, 6, 2, 4) = 18 Wis 16
4d6 ⇒ (6, 6, 6, 1) = 19 Dex 18
4d6 ⇒ (3, 1, 3, 4) = 11 Con 10
4d6 ⇒ (6, 1, 2, 4) = 13 Cha 12

Plays Mystic

Making a profile

HPs 1d6 ⇒ 2 + 1d4 ⇒ 2

Starting gold 3d6 ⇒ (3, 2, 2) = 7 x 10


Helaman here

giving away 15gp to anyone who wants it

Dark Archive

I'm game, but I need clarification. Is this BECMI or B/X? They are two different beasties.

If it is B/X, can we use the B/X Companion?

If it is BECMI, can we draw from the Creature Crucibles or the Gazetteers?


Ferrous Grimgond wrote:
Been thinking about this and I don't know if my dwarf will work as he gets no bonus to hit under the home rules using lowest of Dec or Str for one handed weapons. Not sure that will work for a front line fighter. That house rule makes it so dwarfs need 3 high stats to be effective fighters. STR CON and DEX.

Its a interesting rule as its effectively pushed me toward using a Maul for my cleric. Not a major issue as I'm building her more and more in my mind as a Zarda-esque mind/body set.

@Helman/Fist: I'll take your 10GP of your 15GP if its available - need a holy symbol and sundry kit.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Cool - take the money. I don't need it.


Helaman wrote:

Takes 6 points from Int and boosts str to 14 (Prime Req)
Plays Mystic

Making a profile

HPs 1d6 + 1d4

Starting gold 3d6 x 10

Mystic Prime Req is Wisdom not Strength.

Dark Archive

Hi, guys, I'm back!

I'll try to answer your questions one at a time.

Ferrous Grimgond wrote:
Been thinking about this and I don't know if my dwarf will work as he gets no bonus to hit under the home rules using lowest of Dec or Str for one handed weapons.

@ Ferrous: I wouldn't agonize over it too much. Most enemies that you face at first level have an AC of between 6 and 9 - meaning that you will hit on a 10-13 generally. One thing to remember is that the modifier scale is much smaller and a +2 to damage is a very big deal.

Once I played a B/X character who was a halfling. He had a DEX of 16 and all his other scores were 9's and 10's, and he started with 4 HP. He rocked.

If you look at typical pregens for B/X modules, your character is considerably better than most. Remember that the original material is designed for characters rolled with straight 3d6. You have 17 hit points at first level! Your CON 18 makes a huge difference.

Helaman wrote:
Takes 6 points from Int and boosts str to 14 (Prime req)

@ Helaman:

I haven't sent you the rules for Mystics yet - we are not using the version from BECMI. I have rules that are based on the AD&D Monk. I will send you the rules shortly.

But for now the thing you need to know is that WIS, not STR, is the prime requisite for Mystics. You definitely want to bump that to 18 if you are playing one.

Also, Mystics get d4's for HP, not D6's, which normally would be bad but lucky for you you get to roll that die again (as a d4 this time). They do also get a bonus of WIS to HP that is applied once (not per die).

WhtKnt wrote:
I'm game, but I need clarification. Is this BECMI or B/X? They are two different beasties.

@ WhtKnt:

Welcome!

For the record, this is a homebrew game mostly based on B/X, but with a few things cherry-picked from BECMI and a lot of homebrew elements thrown in.

Most of the homebrew rules are based on expanding character abilities without disrupting balance. Some others involve harmonizing rules.

I'm sorry to keep you in the dark but I am posting things as fast as I can.

Overall I am not too keen on bringing in outside materials. I do own .pdfs of the Gazetteers though - was there something in particular you had in mind? For the record, if you were looking for casters with alternate spell lists, you're out of luck on that one.


1: 4d6 ⇒ (4, 2, 3, 3) = 12
2: 4d6 ⇒ (4, 5, 3, 2) = 14
3: 4d6 ⇒ (3, 4, 6, 3) = 16
4: 4d6 ⇒ (4, 2, 2, 2) = 10
5: 4d6 ⇒ (5, 1, 2, 5) = 13
6: 4d6 ⇒ (2, 1, 3, 1) = 7
Nothing above a 13 :-( a zero point buy.

And his charisma has people not like him.

Kudos for starting up old stuff. Castle Amber is awesome!!

Dark Archive

Well, I was thinking of trying for a pixie from PC1 Tall Tales of the Wee Folk, but I can definitely understand if you said no. That being the case, I will probably try for an elf.

Dark Archive

4d6 ⇒ (4, 2, 6, 2) = 14 = Str 12
4d6 ⇒ (3, 6, 4, 3) = 16 = Int 13
4d6 ⇒ (1, 6, 6, 2) = 15 = Wis 14
4d6 ⇒ (2, 2, 6, 3) = 13 = Dex 11
4d6 ⇒ (2, 3, 3, 2) = 10 = Con 8
4d6 ⇒ (4, 2, 5, 1) = 12 = Cha 11

That makes for a decent elf, though I do wish that Dex were a little higher. I'll reduce Wis by 4 and bolster both Int and Str by 1 each.

Str 13
Int 14
Wis 10
Dex 11
Con 8
Cha 11

I'll post a proper character and alias tomorrow.

Dark Archive

@ WhtKnt:
These scores are pretty mediocre. :(
You should note this though:

Chapter 1 wrote:
However, this method sometimes generates characters which are "unplayable." If a character has more than one score below 9, no scores above 14, or if the character cannot be given a Prime Requisite (see Ability Score Adjustments, below) of at least 14, the character may be discarded as unplayable, and a new set of six Ability Scores may be generated.

By the method you have used you have a PRQ of 13.5 which rounds down to 13. So I'm cool with you re-rolling your whole slate if you want.

NOTE: you could make a regular Magician out of this.
Step 1: Swap WIS and INT
Step 2: Dump STR by 4 to boost INT by 2
Step 3: Dump WIS by 4 to boost INT by 2

Result:
Str 9
Int 18
Wis 9
Dex 11
Con 8
Cha 11

Kind of boring stats but acceptable for a magician.

@ GM Tribute: I think you're in the same boat as WhtKnt as in being entitled to a re-roll.

@ A Gamer 70: Welcome; I think there's room, and your scores look good.

Dark Archive

New Update: Basically complete characters we have so far:

Thylla Vistorix, a lawful female cleric, and
Ferrous Grimgond, a neutral male dwarf.
Montague, a chaotic male thief.

Mostly Complete:

Fist WeiQuan, a male mystic.

Other incomplete characters:
AGamer70 - possibly a magician or Alphatian
WhtKnt - unknown at this point
GM Tribute - unknown

We had three drop out but three more people have dropped in, so we'll go with what we have... if anyone else drops in they can be an alternate.

Players who have withdrawn:

Archlich plans to play a Lupin withdrawn.
GM_Panic might play an Alphatian/Magician withdrawn.
Spazmodeus hasn't chosen a class but has a lot of options. withdrawn.

Dark Archive

@ Helaman/Fist WeiQuan:

Here are the rules for Mystics. They will likely end up as part of a larger document.
MYSTICS

Dark Archive

Here is a sample character sheet that you guys can use on your profiles. Just click "reply" but copy all the quoted text; paste it into your profile but get rid of the quotes and anything that doesn't apply to your character.

Bob The Sample Character

Gender Character Class
Nationality (optional)
Level: 1
XP: XXX (+XP bonus%, next level at XXXX)
Alignment: Something

ABILITIES

Strength: 14 (STR +1)
Intelligence: 10 (INT 0)
Wisdom: 08 (WIS -1)
Dexterity: 16 (DEX +2)
Constitution: 17 (CON +3)
Charisma: 05 (CHA -2)

HP: XX/XX (1d4+1dN+CONx2)
AC: N (9 - [Armour Value + Block Bonus + DEX Bonus])
Progression: +N (N/N per level, round up)
Combat Move: XX'

SAVING THROWS
Base: F+X A+X, C+X, D+X H+X, W+X

FORCE: XX 20 - (Base + STR + progression)
ALERTNESS: XX 20 - (Base + INT + progression)
CHARM: XX 20 - (Base + WIS + progression)
DODGE: XX 20 - (Base + DEX + progression)
HEALTH: XX 20 - (Base + CON + progression)
WILL: XX 20 - (Base + CHA + progression)

PERCEPTION
Find Traps: N in 6
Find Secret Doors: N in 6
Hear Noise: N in 6
Other: N in 6 (i.e. detect evil, detect magic)

ATTACKS

THACO (light weapons): XX (20 - (DEX + progression))
e.g. Dagger: Damage 1d4

THACO (normal weapons): XX (20 - (lower of STR or DEX + progression))
e.g. Normal Sword: Damage 1d8+1

THACO (two-handed weapons): XX (20 - (STR + progression))
e.g. Battleaxe: Damage 1d10+2

CLERIC ABILITIES

Detect Evil: 1 in 6
Lay on Hands: 1d4 HP 1/day
Turn Undead: Roll 2d6+WIS:

12+ affects 2HD undead
10+ affects 1HD undead
8+ affects 0HD undead
(mindless undead count as -1 HD)

If successful, roll 2d6+WIS to determine total HD affected

MAGICIAN ABILITIES

Spell Defense: +INT save vs. spells if spellcaster is seen.
Detect/Read Magic: 1 in 6
Cantrip: INT in 6

Spells Known:
Spell #1

Spell Prepared:
Spell #1

THIEF ABILITIES

Detection: 2 in 6

Manipulation: +1
* Climb: +N (manipulation + DEX + STR)
* Tinker: +N (manipulation + DEX + INT)
* Stealth: +N (manipulation + DEX + WIS)
* Sleight-of-Hand: +N (manipulation + DEX + CHA)

Backstab: +4 to hit and +1 bonus attack

DWARF ABILITIES

Infravision 60'
Find traps & unusual stonework: 2 in 6
Hear Noise: 2 in 6

ELF ABILITIES

Infravision 60'
Find secret doors: 2 in 6
Hear Noise: 2 in 6
Immune to Ghoul Paralysis

HALFLING ABILITIES

+1 to hit at range
+1 to initiative
-2 to AC vs. Large enemies
Hiding: Only spotted on 1 in 6 in underbrush or 4 in 6 indoors.
Hear Noise: 2 in 6

GEAR

ENCUMBRANCE
XX Armor Weight
+XX Shield Weight
+XX Weapons Weight
+08 Equipment Weight
-XX Strength bonus (STR x 10)
---
XX Total Equipment Weight

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