Not gonna sugar coat it... I like OSE, BECMI, Lamentations, ACKs etc. I have metaphorically driven around the OSR rule sets, GM binder and such in a Van with heavily tinted windows and a roll of duct tape.
The result is something I'd like to field test. I'm not talking a LotR epic campaign, the game is likely to be something I bought off DriveThru if anything. Some stuff is mine... a lot of it is out and out stolen.
If it goes well? Everyone having fun? We'll see how it goes.
Rather than bore the crap out of people reading said Frankenstein creation, or waste peoples time making characters I'll just throw a few bullet points.
* Standard 7 classes (inc. race as class)
* 3d6 in 7 rolls, allocate 6 of them as you will.
* Fighter is the only class that gets +1 to hit per level... and some other benefits making them stand out combatants.
* The thief/rogue is replaced by 'Expert' like in LotFP (incl. d6 skill system)
* Each class is covered on a single double sided piece of paper/pdf pages.
* Wizards and Elves do function differently (but the spells are the same)
* Each class can be flavoured at level 1 with a Boon (making your Expert a 'bard' or your cleric like a Paladin)
* Stat increases or customised class features at level 3,6 and 9
* Shields will be splintered.
I have 3 players here it seems. I'll give it the week end then provide links to PDF files. Still recruiting from a parallel game and hoping for the magical 4th...
Again, stuff has been liberally "acquired" from other systems.
Here's a good un...
Super-Simple Combat Maneuvers:
* The attacker declares that he wants to try a combat maneuver, and what it is such as disarming an opponent, forcing him back, knocking him down, severing a hand etc.
* They make an ordinary, unmodified to-hit roll. A miss means it failed. an Automiss is a Critical Failure. Critical Failures are bad news, such a damaging your weapon, hitting an ally etc... They only happen with attempted combat Maneuvers... if you just want a normal damaging hit? 1 is a miss.
* If the attack is a success (or an Autohit) the defender chooses whether to accept the results of the declared maneuver OR take damage as if it were a regular (or Critical Hit).
Examples: Disarm, Knockdown, Switch Places, Unhorse, Disable a limb, Steal an Object, but not limited to these... see the spoiler.
Stolen from the website and reworded to fit GM binder in my preferred format:
Explaining Combat Maneuvers
At its heart it is a "One side splits the cake and the other side chooses which half they want" approach. It’s up to your opponent if they’re willing to pay HP to prevent it. A different framing. You don’t take damage instead of accepting the maneuver – you pay HP to prevent the maneuver.
With this change of frame, one could even see this as the core combat system, instead of an exception, assuming regular lethal attacks are just “killing my enemy” maneuvers. You know, stuff like separating their head from the neck, poking some ventilation holes through their bodies or scratching their insides with a spear. The opponent then, of course, chooses to pay HP to prevent it.
Until they reach 0 HP, of course.
Now, this is the part where I tell you why I love this little rule.
It is open. Like, really open. Jump over the monster and ride its head? OK, go for it. Sliding between their legs? Sure, why not. Throwing yourself down the cliff, hanging from a rope, using your inertia to circle around the giant, tying their legs together AT-AT style? Holy crap that’s so cool, roll already.
It self-regulates. The attacker creates a choice: Either take damage or accept this effect instead. Not taking damage is cool, but if the maneuver is “chopping his arm off” then 1d6 damage sounds much preferable. Knowing this, the attacker makes a reasonable proposal, good enough for them if the opponent takes them, but not too punishing, so taking it instead of damage is tempting. If your system uses critical hits, a nat 20 adds pressure to accept the maneuver as it doubles the damage, generally. In this case, the maneuver could be accepted in exchange of not doubling the damage, or maybe the maneuver can’t be avoided and it’s the attacker’s choice to apply it or doubling damage.
It keeps the original balance of the game, since it uses the same AC, attack and damage rolls the system is built around. Any deviation from that is an agreement between opposing parties so it shouldn’t favor anyone specially. One could simply not accept any maneuver ever. You don’t get punished or advantaged for never using them, nor for attempting one every turn.
Fighters are naturally better at it. Higher attack rolls and damage output means more chances at doing cool stuff and more pressure, in the form of potential damage, to accept the maneuver. Being a fighter becomes more fun, not because of new powers or abilities but because of added flexibility.
And on that very same line Thieves get great at surprise attacks, if you allow to use this rule with backstabbing. If you’re a 2HD guard would you rather choose double damage or getting abruptly pushed against the wall with a hand on your mouth and a dagger on your throat? Being pushed to the river by a rope-swinging rogue on the first round of combat isn’t very seductive but it might be better than being caught into the thick of the ambush with less HP, and the rogue just got one less enemy for the party to deal with.
Everyone is a winner.
It offers a non-lethal way out of combat. When your goal in a given combat scenario is not specifically killing your enemies, usually you still have to kill or route your enemies before doing the thing you want: reaching the idol, getting somewhere, etc. As a maneuver, you can make your roll to get to your goal, and it’s up to your opponent if they’re willing to pay HP to prevent it.
They also work well to handle submission, trapping, disarming, etc. You didn’t skip the combat because you were able to disarm me, it’s the other way around – you were able to disarm me and put me against the wall at sword’s point to ask me about the Duke only because you overpowered me in combat and I lost enough HP already that I preferred that over taking more damage. The lower the opponent’s HP, maneuvers are more tempting to accept and, in consequence, more effective. If they don’t accept your maneuver, soften them a bit before. Lower level enemies might not even resist to the first maneuvers, knowing they have little chance in a whack-each-other contest.
The rogue gets put of his hiding spot with his hands in the air. “All right, I surrender”, he says. “It was me, you caught me. It’s OK, I’m used to the cells”. The guards approach him, wary of any tricks. The GM says “OK, but the guard is going to tie you up as a combat maneuver”. “Hey, no need to get aggressive, I already surrendered!”. If the guard failed his attack roll or lost initiative, the rogue could have turned onto them on the last moment, but the guard hit his AC. “Crap. Well, I’m not getting caught today, so I pay the HP. How much is it?”. The rogue unseathes his long dagger in time to avoid being put the shackles, but not fast enough to prevent 1d6 damage from the guard who was ready for his tricks.
An elf shoots their bow with the intent to puncture the beholder’s anti-magic stalk. It’s not the first time the elf tries that, and the beholder has been adamant on taking the damage instead, not wanting to do away with its anti-magic field. This time the elf gets a critical! The beholder took enough of a beating already, and the prospect of receiving double damage is what seals the deal: An arrow just below the eyeball makes the creature shriek as the anti-magic field vanishes.
SOOOO... want to do something interesting? Write out your preference for outcome in the text, and make a to hit and damage roll as normal. Depending on the circumstance, or failing that, a morale check, you will either inflict damage as normal... or pull off something cool.
Needless to say fighters with their increasing bonuses, benefit more from this rule.
* The attacker declares that he wants to try a combat maneuver, and what it is such as disarming an opponent, forcing him back, knocking him down, severing a hand etc.
* They make an ordinary, unmodified to-hit roll. A miss means it failed. an Automiss is a Critical Failure. Critical Failures are bad news, such a damaging your weapon, hitting an ally etc... They only happen with attempted combat Maneuvers... if you just want a normal damaging hit? 1 is a miss.
* If the attack is a success (or an Autohit) the defender chooses whether to accept the results of the declared maneuver OR take damage as if it were a regular (or Critical Hit).
Examples: Disarm, Knockdown, Switch Places, Unhorse, Disable a limb, Steal an Object, but not limited to these... see the spoiler.
I like this - new and 'better' or 'simpler' ways of doing things are always welcome. Of course, we can only understand ho well they actually work when we give them a try :)
I hope we have a chance to build a character, and learn as we play, without the need to do 'too much' reading before getting into it.
Spell casting attributes for wizards is Int. Clerics is Wis. Elves is Cha.
Specific preparation is needed for a Magic-User. If a Magic User wishes to cast magic missile twice in a day, they must memorise or prepare the spell twice, locking their selection in for the day.
With elves, when preparing spells, they do not need to lock in exact selection. A second level elf may prepare sleep and magic missile but later choose to cast one of the spells twice.
Both clerics and magic users, but not elves, get access to additional magic according to their spell casting attribute bonus.
Here are the character rules... I think they'll give you pause when you check the classes. All of them have a custom quirk/boon that allows some customisation right off the bat.
Also Check the base scores needed for entry. I am aware this might cause an issue or two. I'm willing to work around these. I will adjust the base str needed for elves to 9.
Hi Helaman, I am not able to access the folder - am I required to request access with my personal email address?
And seconding Today's question but for different reasons, since I feel like a 1/day posting rate is the bare minimum for a PbP game to keep me committed and motivated.
@ElbowtotheFace: Shouldn't you be able to reroll those dice? It seems you are under +3?
I generally post 1-2 times a day but when the players are hot, I am hot too. As for irregular posting, I am okay with that (I work a weird job myself... It's sorta like a train conductor but sorta not) but suggest something like a fighter so that botting you isn't an issue for combat.
Rules doc is 9 pages long and 3 of those are graphics pages. Shouldnt be a big read.
I dropped the death rules off the print as I'm not 100% on those. I'll upload later.
Heres a teaser
Quote:
Explaining Saving Throws
There are five categories of saving throws. The appropriate saving throw to use and the effects of a success or failure will be indicated in the description of the spell, monster attack, or dungeon scenario. When there is a doubt as to which category to use, start at the left column and move to the right, and use the first which matches the particular
effect.
Poison & Death includes those effects where hit points are rendered irrelevant and the result is instant death or total incapacitation, including unconsciousness, total blindness, or panicked fear.
Petrification & Paralysis covers those effects in which the victim will be rendered immobile, such as being turned to stone, or being paralyzed by a ghoul.
Blast & Breath is used for damaging effects targeting an area, such as a ball of fire, a lightning bolt, a dragon's breath weapon, a collapsing ceiling, an avalanche, and so on, excluding effects covered by one of the earlier categories.
Staffs & Wands is used for any magical effects from items such as rings, rods, staffs, and wands not covered by one of the earlier categories.
Spells covers any magical effect from a cast spell not covered by one of the earlier categories.
Bonuses to Saving Throws... Gimme a reason!
If you have +1 bonus or better in an attribute, you can apply a +1 to saving throws depending on the attribute that could potentially help. Just let the DM know how you think it affects the save, if the DM likes the narrative and its appropriate? You get the bonus. All the DM needs is a story or narrative based reason.
Examples
Strength: Resist any effect that forcefully moves, restrains, or paralyzes you that isn't a disease or poison.
Intelligence: See through illusions; to avoid being magically tricked or confused, Resist Psychic damage.
Wisdom: Resist Fear effects, direct attempts to compel and dominate.
Dexterity: Avoid area effects, to dodge projectiles or rays; to maintain your balance.
Constitution: Resist effects that target your Health or Body; to resist Cold effects; to maintain your Concentration, resist death effect spells.
Charisma: Resist Charms and Enchantments, attempt to stay connected to your Plane.
Example: Rogh the Slayer is hit by a web spell. He explains that he's strong enough to try to break free of the magical threads. The DM agrees and he gets a +1 to the save vs Paralysis. His friend, Avery the Quick explains he's great at dodging and how he tries a tumble to avoid the worst of it... the DM agrees there as well and Avery also gets a +1.
Later Rogh is hit by a carrion crawler and explains how his natural strength is sufficient to break the paralysing effect, however the DM counters that the carrion crawlers paralysis is due to a toxin and suggests that Constitution applies. Given that Rogh also has a good Constitution that grants a bonus, he is still able to apply the +1.
And finally spell book and magic is up. This is a longer book but the first 4 pages are rules and the rest is spell tables and spell desciptions.
Again, I make no claim to originality. Those familar with ACK's will note that I have in many cases out and out pillaged their spells BUT it is not a direct 1 to 1. I have made some changes so if you pick the spell in question, do give the spell desciption a read.
As before, heres a teaser, the concept taken from ACKs.
Quote:
Spell Signatures
While spells have general effects that are common to all who cast them, the specific sensory effects associated with the spell will vary from caster to caster. This specific sensory effect is known as the spell signature. A spellcaster should write a short description of the signature for each spell he can cast. For arcane spellcasters, the signature may be based on a particular school or style of magic, or simply be a reflection of the spellcaster's personal taste.
For divine spellcasters, the signature reflects the caster's relationship with his deity. A character's choice of proficiencies can be suggestive of appropriate spell signatures.
Example: Sargon pursues necromantic magic. His player decides that all of Sargon's spell signatures will revolve around death. His magic missiles appear as shards of bone. His sleep spell places targets into a nightmarish slumber. His lightning bolt is crackling blue-black energy. His wall of stone has the appearance of tombstones graven with the names of the dead.
There are also rules for tracking spell casters... not always a factor BUT it could be depending on the story.
Its the Australian Saturday and the US Friday evening atm.
I'm going to leave this until the US Monday for questions, objections etc as well as any drop outs or additions. I'll check the thread regularly to make sure if there are any issues in accessing pdfs, questions etc.
The purpose of the character balance is to allow characters to be experts in their respective areas BUT allow potential for overlap AND some customisation.
Fighters are out and out the best fighters. Wizards can learn more spells and have access to bonus casting over elves, who can both fight and cast but not to the heights of either of these classes. Experts are the most skilled at adventuring skills and can be skinned as bards, rangers or thieves BUT those others wanting to develop SOME skills over their adventuring careers can branch sideways into those areas, as well as learn languages etc. Dwarves and halflings bring other things to the table, acting as mini experts and fighters both. Clerics can play as either clerics or, as they level, sort of like Paladins or Inquisitors.
At level 3 when you get an additional class feature or attribute increase, I'm happy to discuss some cross class sharing.
As the purpose of the game is A) Have fun and B) Test the PDFs?
IF you arent happy with your character, feel free to roll another.
Come early next week I'll set up the game thread.
The nature of the game will reward creativity and narrative over dice rolling alone. Old School Renaissance games are as much about the players behind the characters as the characters themselves. Don't stress about your fighters Intelligence... if a roll is needed then its based on the attribute BUT there is nothing stopping your character from coming up with the idea.
Armour cancels crits so that's a benefit. Light and no armour allows for full dexterity to AC.
Fighters can start with a boon that allows them AC12 for unarmoured.
As for throwing knives, sure, stab round round 1, throw round 2... throwing knives (or shurikens if you want to skin your character with such a theme) are 1d3 damage though. You can throw these 20/60.
Daggers and fighting knives/cleavers are D4. Yes you can throw these too (I watch one YouTuber test various heavy knives in a throwing test) but the range will be 10/30.
Sure, but it's more on the entertainment/performer side of things, like setting up equipment, how much could you expect to earn at various places, whether or not a circus seems legit etc. It won't be a so much of a dice advantage EXCEPT if there was tight rope walking etc needed, then sure, good for a +1 on the ole D6.
The failed profession thing is to open up opportunities such as "I know a guy..." or "You know, back before the war broked out, I was a saucier in San Antone" moments as well as open up the game for stuff like sailing, or crafting etc, in which case the D20 applies.
I'll open the campaign thread on the US Monday or thereabouts, and you can post your character profiles in there.
I am VERY likely to start you guys off in a "roll for initiative" moment and then roll in some exposition, then nod away onto the adventure. It's served me well before.
Hey Helaman - is this still open? I won’t be able to get the crunch together until Monday afternoon Oz-time - going to go simple Fighter, possibly spear/shield or just pole-arm…
