Well, I'm busy at work, behind on putting together a workshop that I need to present on the 11th, and behind on reading a stack of journal articles. That means the blog is paying the price....
On the gaming front, though, I have been experimenting with putting together small digest-sized booklets for running Athanor on a tabletop, which has gone well. I have figured out how to flip copies over in my laser printer so that I stop misaligning double-sided copies, and now this is going swimmingly. The only problem I'm having lately is finding an appropriate-sized box to feel like I have my own whitebox set.
But Chgowiz comes to the rescue, with his tale of a cheap craigslist find of the original little brown books and his box solution (based on the similar tale of box-finding by a OD&D forum reader). Voila, a quick look at the Joann web site and there it is... a paper mache book box, just like the one I saw at Micheal's that was too small, but sized just about the 6"x9" size I need for the task.
Now the next time my wife heads to Joann for fabric and craft goodies, I can pick up the box, some craft paints, and go to town.
I'll post some photos when I have it all put together.
Well, back to work on the stuff that pays the bills.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Access vs. Individuality
One of the things that has been interesting to me over the last year has been reviewing older versions of D&D to see them with fresh eyes. I’m currently playing in my best friend’s 4th edition campaign, and one of the players at my table is a RPG newbie. Teaching him the nuances of 4th edition have been easier, from what I have experienced, than teaching similar levels of experience in 3rd edition, but it seems to me that the whole idea of teaching the later versions of D&D to a player new to role-playing games is a much bigger leap than teaching new players the rules of the game when I first started.
Some of this is because so much of the rules mastery portion of older versions of D&D was distributed differently. In Ye Olden Days, the DM was the only one who had to master much of the rules structure—though there were always older players who had learned things as well, often because they were DMs, too (but sometimes because they were just rules lawyers.) This was also because there was less in the way of choice for players in developing characters in the rules. The limited customization options and rules-opaqueness were good for hopping right in.
However, the down side was often a period when new players for whom the restrictions and tropes of the game were not central conceits, became frustrated with the arbitrary limits of the game. (“Why can’t my wizard learn to fight with a sword? Can’t he just take some fencing lessons? Why can’t I increase my strength? Can’t I just start exercising?”) That’s where limited options become a challenge to overcome for new players.
So I understand why over time different RPGs began to include more options to customize characters. I’m all for players having choice, and I’m supportive of customizing characters to help players feel that their characters are different from the next player’s. But choice often leads to complexity, which leads to puzzled new players who start to look panicked as you tell them to start making choices about their characters when they don’t know the impact of them.
As I put together my house rules, I want to make sure the game stays in a shape that allows play with minimal rules mastery, focusing instead on smart play that involves players mastering their interaction with the game world. However, I want players to feel that their characters have some depth and are different from each other, which is harder to do in an environment of limited class options and limited rules elements to distinguish characters. Yes, it’s good to make your character’s personality his or her difference, but my experience is that players want their characters to have something in game play that distinguishes them, too. That’s a major reason for the proposed skill system I have been working on, though I also want to encourage the kind of specialization (personality, play style) that I find actually is more enduring in play.
Some of this is because so much of the rules mastery portion of older versions of D&D was distributed differently. In Ye Olden Days, the DM was the only one who had to master much of the rules structure—though there were always older players who had learned things as well, often because they were DMs, too (but sometimes because they were just rules lawyers.) This was also because there was less in the way of choice for players in developing characters in the rules. The limited customization options and rules-opaqueness were good for hopping right in.
However, the down side was often a period when new players for whom the restrictions and tropes of the game were not central conceits, became frustrated with the arbitrary limits of the game. (“Why can’t my wizard learn to fight with a sword? Can’t he just take some fencing lessons? Why can’t I increase my strength? Can’t I just start exercising?”) That’s where limited options become a challenge to overcome for new players.
So I understand why over time different RPGs began to include more options to customize characters. I’m all for players having choice, and I’m supportive of customizing characters to help players feel that their characters are different from the next player’s. But choice often leads to complexity, which leads to puzzled new players who start to look panicked as you tell them to start making choices about their characters when they don’t know the impact of them.
As I put together my house rules, I want to make sure the game stays in a shape that allows play with minimal rules mastery, focusing instead on smart play that involves players mastering their interaction with the game world. However, I want players to feel that their characters have some depth and are different from each other, which is harder to do in an environment of limited class options and limited rules elements to distinguish characters. Yes, it’s good to make your character’s personality his or her difference, but my experience is that players want their characters to have something in game play that distinguishes them, too. That’s a major reason for the proposed skill system I have been working on, though I also want to encourage the kind of specialization (personality, play style) that I find actually is more enduring in play.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
More Ideas for Magic Items
Going back to Fight On! #2, I was reading Jacob “Badelaire” Boucher's article, "The Seven Swords," and found myself returning to one of my original intentions with Athanor: that magic items would be rare, but powerful. Rather than finding a Sword +1, players might find, for instance, one of the Five Swords of Aquila or one of the Six Weapons of the Witch Kings, each of which is powerful and tied to the history of the game world.
Five Swords of Aquila
The Ancient Aquilan Empire largely focused on the use of technology to further its ends, but its few powerful wizards did create a handful of weapons that were intended to help them defeat their sorcerous enemies, particularly the Witch-Kings of Ylum. Few weapons are even documented anymore. Javier Brujeria de Los Santos notes five powerful magical swords in his treatise, "On the Sorcerous Traditions of the Aquilan Empire":
The Broken Sword
The Broken Sword looks like a broadsword with a foot-long stump of broken-off blade. It is, however, still serviceable, and acts as a short sword +1. However, its real enchantment is in breaking inanimate objects. Against inanimate objects, magical contructs, robots, etc., the sword is +3 and does triple damage dice.
The Dancing Sword
The Dancing Sword acts as a sword +2. After one round of combat, the wielder may release the weapon, which will fight for 1d6+4 rounds on its own before sheathing itself or returning to a wielder's open hand.
The Gate
The Gate is a curved cutting sword that looks to be made of silver with a matching pommel and guard. It acts as a +1 scimitar. When the proper cut is learned, the sword may be used to cut rents in the fabric of space, allowing the wielder to cut a brief pathway between objects. This effectively allows the user to spend his attack to dimension door instead.
The Peaceful Cut
This blunt longsword is enchanted to a +1 enchantment. Any creature struck by it takes no damage, but must save or be held as a hold person or hold creature spell for 2d6+6 rounds. Creatures struck by damaging attacks while so held take no damage, but the hold effect is immediately dissipated.
The Slayer of Shadows
This black flamberge was constructed to allow its user to defeat the power of The Shadows. It acts as a two-handed sword +2, but against shadows, the sword becomes a +4 weapon and does double damage dice. When drawn and held, the wielder may see invisible objects and creatures. However, this weapon is an object of fear and legend among the Shadows. A known wielder will become the target of the Shadows....
Six Weapons of the Witch Kings
The Witch-Kings of Ylum consorted with a large number of demons and spirits and created a wide variety of magical weapons, most of which are lost to time. The following six weapons are described by Lazarillo Marino in his treatise "Horrors of the Witch Kings."
Axe of Longing
The Axe of Longing is a +2 battle axe that looks as if it is made of bone and sinew, with a wickedly notched blade and deep blood gutters. The Axe will "drink" the blood of living creatures struck by it, healing 1 hit point of damage to the wielder for every 3 full hit points of damage it inflicts each strike. If it does not drink blood every day, the wielder will feel ill and weak. After two or more days, the wielder will suffer a -2 penalty to all rolls until the axe tastes blood again.
Cesti of Terror
These studded leather hand wrappings look like they are made of sinew and bone, and bury they dig into the flesh of the wielder. As a pair, they are a +2 weapon and allow the weilder to make a single attack with both fists doing 1d6 base damage. In addition, any creature struck by the wielder must save or flee in fear for 1d6 rounds.
Flail of Woe
Looking like a length of vertebrae topped by a skull impaled with nails, the Flail of Woe is a two-handed weapon. It acts as a +1 magic weapon. When swung, the flail begins to wail, causing all living creatures within 30 feet to suffer a -1 penalty to all die rolls (e.g., hit, damage, saves). The flail may be used to attack all creatures within five feet of the wielder, and when it strikes, the flail's toxic nature causes any target struck to save or suffer an additional 1d6 damage from the poisons that cover the nails driven through the skull.
Glaive of Sorrows
This wickedly spiked, ornately curved polearm acts as a +2 weapon. If the attack roll is even and the attack successfully strikes a living target, that creature must save or be poisoned. The poison of the Glaive of Sorrows does 1d6 damage and causes the victim to be debilitated by pain for one day, causing a -1 penalty to all die rolls. Victims poisoned more than once suffer additional damage, but not additional penalties.
Hammer of the Winds
This hammer has a large, square stone head, a bone haft, and is wrapped in pulsing sinews. It is a +2 weapon. When the Hammer strikes an opponent, it does normal damage and the target must save or be thrown 1d6x5 feet away from the wielder in a booming burst of energy.
Javelin of Lightning
This short spear acts as a normal weapon +1 until thrown. When thrown, the weapon transforms into a bolt of lightning that lances from the wielder, is a +2 weapon, and does 2d6+2 damage before returning to the user's hand.
Five Swords of Aquila
The Ancient Aquilan Empire largely focused on the use of technology to further its ends, but its few powerful wizards did create a handful of weapons that were intended to help them defeat their sorcerous enemies, particularly the Witch-Kings of Ylum. Few weapons are even documented anymore. Javier Brujeria de Los Santos notes five powerful magical swords in his treatise, "On the Sorcerous Traditions of the Aquilan Empire":
The Broken Sword
The Broken Sword looks like a broadsword with a foot-long stump of broken-off blade. It is, however, still serviceable, and acts as a short sword +1. However, its real enchantment is in breaking inanimate objects. Against inanimate objects, magical contructs, robots, etc., the sword is +3 and does triple damage dice.
The Dancing Sword
The Dancing Sword acts as a sword +2. After one round of combat, the wielder may release the weapon, which will fight for 1d6+4 rounds on its own before sheathing itself or returning to a wielder's open hand.
The Gate
The Gate is a curved cutting sword that looks to be made of silver with a matching pommel and guard. It acts as a +1 scimitar. When the proper cut is learned, the sword may be used to cut rents in the fabric of space, allowing the wielder to cut a brief pathway between objects. This effectively allows the user to spend his attack to dimension door instead.
The Peaceful Cut
This blunt longsword is enchanted to a +1 enchantment. Any creature struck by it takes no damage, but must save or be held as a hold person or hold creature spell for 2d6+6 rounds. Creatures struck by damaging attacks while so held take no damage, but the hold effect is immediately dissipated.
The Slayer of Shadows
This black flamberge was constructed to allow its user to defeat the power of The Shadows. It acts as a two-handed sword +2, but against shadows, the sword becomes a +4 weapon and does double damage dice. When drawn and held, the wielder may see invisible objects and creatures. However, this weapon is an object of fear and legend among the Shadows. A known wielder will become the target of the Shadows....
Six Weapons of the Witch Kings
The Witch-Kings of Ylum consorted with a large number of demons and spirits and created a wide variety of magical weapons, most of which are lost to time. The following six weapons are described by Lazarillo Marino in his treatise "Horrors of the Witch Kings."
Axe of Longing
The Axe of Longing is a +2 battle axe that looks as if it is made of bone and sinew, with a wickedly notched blade and deep blood gutters. The Axe will "drink" the blood of living creatures struck by it, healing 1 hit point of damage to the wielder for every 3 full hit points of damage it inflicts each strike. If it does not drink blood every day, the wielder will feel ill and weak. After two or more days, the wielder will suffer a -2 penalty to all rolls until the axe tastes blood again.
Cesti of Terror
These studded leather hand wrappings look like they are made of sinew and bone, and bury they dig into the flesh of the wielder. As a pair, they are a +2 weapon and allow the weilder to make a single attack with both fists doing 1d6 base damage. In addition, any creature struck by the wielder must save or flee in fear for 1d6 rounds.
Flail of Woe
Looking like a length of vertebrae topped by a skull impaled with nails, the Flail of Woe is a two-handed weapon. It acts as a +1 magic weapon. When swung, the flail begins to wail, causing all living creatures within 30 feet to suffer a -1 penalty to all die rolls (e.g., hit, damage, saves). The flail may be used to attack all creatures within five feet of the wielder, and when it strikes, the flail's toxic nature causes any target struck to save or suffer an additional 1d6 damage from the poisons that cover the nails driven through the skull.
Glaive of Sorrows
This wickedly spiked, ornately curved polearm acts as a +2 weapon. If the attack roll is even and the attack successfully strikes a living target, that creature must save or be poisoned. The poison of the Glaive of Sorrows does 1d6 damage and causes the victim to be debilitated by pain for one day, causing a -1 penalty to all die rolls. Victims poisoned more than once suffer additional damage, but not additional penalties.
Hammer of the Winds
This hammer has a large, square stone head, a bone haft, and is wrapped in pulsing sinews. It is a +2 weapon. When the Hammer strikes an opponent, it does normal damage and the target must save or be thrown 1d6x5 feet away from the wielder in a booming burst of energy.
Javelin of Lightning
This short spear acts as a normal weapon +1 until thrown. When thrown, the weapon transforms into a bolt of lightning that lances from the wielder, is a +2 weapon, and does 2d6+2 damage before returning to the user's hand.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Capsule Reviews: Green Devil Face #2 and Death Frost Doom
Reviews aren't usually my thing here, but I just finished my initial read-throughs of my PDF copies of Green Devil Face #2 and Death Frost Doom that I downloaded recently. My general impressions:
Green Devil Face #2
Overall, this wasn't my cup of tea. Despite having cut my teeth in 80-81 with AD&D and having been part of a generation of gamers who bragged about who did and did not survive the Tomb of Horrors, my general tastes don't run to clever death-traps made to slice and dice those who are foolish enough not to second-guess the tricks I have set up for the night.
That said this magazine delivers what it sets out to do. The traps in this volume range from gonzo psychedelia (The Eyes of Parsifur and Dunsane), to the contrived (Doppleganger Trap Room, Mummy Tar Trap Room of Death, Temple of Water, The Incredible Pedestal), with some evoking nice campaign background (The Pylis Prison) or pure brutal Tomb-of-Horrors cruelty (most of Jim Raggi's traps) all of which are creative, allow opportunities for players to avoid death (or screw themselves), and really evoke the kind of one-upsmanship one would hope for in a 'zine of this sort. Though I'm not likely o use any of this, I have to say it was a fun read, because in the midst of all these exercises in DM sadism is a sort of glee and dark playfulness that you just don't see that often in more "professional" publications. Thus, I have to say that Raggi is on the ball here, and making a fine publication to fit its niche, even if it ain't my thing.
Death Frost Doom
I'm not sure I would ever use this in my own campaign, unless I took a much more horror-based direction. But this is a great example of atmosphere, building mood, and turning a game that doesn't seem well-suited to horror scenarios into a rollicking horror scenario. I would love to run or play this in a one-shot, with players's forced into making tough, even foolish choices just to survive. Though the inclusion of Raggi's tower scenario from Fight On! seems to be a little tacked-on, this package gives you a couple of brutal horror scenarios, with options for roleplay, genuine creepiness, and a sense of overwhelming danger as players find that they can't hide, can't rest, and can't fight against horrible evil. Good stuff.
Green Devil Face #2
Overall, this wasn't my cup of tea. Despite having cut my teeth in 80-81 with AD&D and having been part of a generation of gamers who bragged about who did and did not survive the Tomb of Horrors, my general tastes don't run to clever death-traps made to slice and dice those who are foolish enough not to second-guess the tricks I have set up for the night.
That said this magazine delivers what it sets out to do. The traps in this volume range from gonzo psychedelia (The Eyes of Parsifur and Dunsane), to the contrived (Doppleganger Trap Room, Mummy Tar Trap Room of Death, Temple of Water, The Incredible Pedestal), with some evoking nice campaign background (The Pylis Prison) or pure brutal Tomb-of-Horrors cruelty (most of Jim Raggi's traps) all of which are creative, allow opportunities for players to avoid death (or screw themselves), and really evoke the kind of one-upsmanship one would hope for in a 'zine of this sort. Though I'm not likely o use any of this, I have to say it was a fun read, because in the midst of all these exercises in DM sadism is a sort of glee and dark playfulness that you just don't see that often in more "professional" publications. Thus, I have to say that Raggi is on the ball here, and making a fine publication to fit its niche, even if it ain't my thing.
Death Frost Doom
I'm not sure I would ever use this in my own campaign, unless I took a much more horror-based direction. But this is a great example of atmosphere, building mood, and turning a game that doesn't seem well-suited to horror scenarios into a rollicking horror scenario. I would love to run or play this in a one-shot, with players's forced into making tough, even foolish choices just to survive. Though the inclusion of Raggi's tower scenario from Fight On! seems to be a little tacked-on, this package gives you a couple of brutal horror scenarios, with options for roleplay, genuine creepiness, and a sense of overwhelming danger as players find that they can't hide, can't rest, and can't fight against horrible evil. Good stuff.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Setting up a game is hard. Boo-hoo for me.
The problems are twofold: one is my desire to run a game with people I know and like and the limited schedules I and my friends face as thirty- and forty-somethings with, you know, lives. I work full time and am a doctoral student, my best friend is a nurse who also still does some work as a massage therapist and is focused on completing his first novel. I have other friends whose life is complicated by living some 30 minutes or more drive away. This all means that weekdays are hard to schedule, and weekends are very precious.
I could run things as PBEM or PBP, but I need to learn more about the formats, and I actually like running a face-to-face game. So if I want this to happen, I suppose I need to make the time on my schedule, and face the possibility that I might need to recruit players into my game including people I just don't know -- something I haven't done in ages. Most of the time, players started with friends, who helped me recruit friends of friends, making the job easier.
In short, I have gotten lazy. And, frankly, spoiled. I'm not enamored of going through screening people and since I game these days in my own home, I'm not enamored of bringing in total strangers. I realize that I am much more averse to risk than I was as a teenager or twenty-something year old. After all, gaming for strangers at a con or a game store is a different sort of thing than having a stranger drop by your house, especially given the fact that many of the gamers I have known (and even played with) over the years have been people I gladly saw once a week or month at a neutral place, but might not have invited over to my house.
Well, at some point I need to suck it up.
I can put that off for at least another day, though. I'm back to work after a three week vacation (and by vacation, I mean three weeks off work doing academic research), and I think that will keep me busy for at least a week catching up on things....
I could run things as PBEM or PBP, but I need to learn more about the formats, and I actually like running a face-to-face game. So if I want this to happen, I suppose I need to make the time on my schedule, and face the possibility that I might need to recruit players into my game including people I just don't know -- something I haven't done in ages. Most of the time, players started with friends, who helped me recruit friends of friends, making the job easier.
In short, I have gotten lazy. And, frankly, spoiled. I'm not enamored of going through screening people and since I game these days in my own home, I'm not enamored of bringing in total strangers. I realize that I am much more averse to risk than I was as a teenager or twenty-something year old. After all, gaming for strangers at a con or a game store is a different sort of thing than having a stranger drop by your house, especially given the fact that many of the gamers I have known (and even played with) over the years have been people I gladly saw once a week or month at a neutral place, but might not have invited over to my house.
Well, at some point I need to suck it up.
I can put that off for at least another day, though. I'm back to work after a three week vacation (and by vacation, I mean three weeks off work doing academic research), and I think that will keep me busy for at least a week catching up on things....
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Back to thinking about a Chainmail-style Magic Table
Here I am resurrecting an old idea of using rules based on Chainmail to add a spellcasting roll to S&W magic. In the past, I had only gone as far as coming up with the casting table. But here is my rule set with some thought to how rogues fit into the big picture as well as spell failure and fumbles.
Note that using INT to modify the table results only works in the low-bonus world of Swords and Wizardry. Other forms of xD&D may not fare as well. Also, I'm thinking I may need to tweak the Spell Advancement tables to give more spells to prepare for it to work to my happiness.
PREPARING SPELLS
Each morning, magic-users and rogues may prepare spells as listed on the Spell Advancement table for their classes.
Casting from Scrolls and Spellbooks
Spells on scrolls are treated as prepared spells in this system. A failed casting erases the spell from the scroll, as does copying the spell into a spellbook. Spellbooks may also be used as scrolls in a pinch (if the caster can find the spell in time), though this is best left for very dire circumstances, since it may cause a character to lose his only copy of a spell if he fails in a spell roll.
CASTING SPELLS
To cast a spell, Magic-users and Rogues use the Spellcasting Success table. Magic-users use their character level as their caster level. Rogues use their level/2 (rounded down), which means that level 1 rogues have no ability to cast spells. Characters may add their Intelligence ability bonus to the spellcasting roll.
Spellcasting may have one of three results: Immediate (I) spellcasting allows the spell to take effect right away. Delayed (D) spellcasting means that the spell is delayed until next turn and may be subject to disruption if the spell-caster is struck before the spell takes effect. Negated (N) spellcasting means that the spell fails. If it does, the spell-caster loses the spell and cannot use it again until it is prepared once more the next morning. In addition, the character must make a save or roll on the magical mishap table.
If a spell is disrupted in the middle of casting, save or the spell is negated. If it is negated, save once more or you must roll on the magical mishap table.
Note that using INT to modify the table results only works in the low-bonus world of Swords and Wizardry. Other forms of xD&D may not fare as well. Also, I'm thinking I may need to tweak the Spell Advancement tables to give more spells to prepare for it to work to my happiness.
PREPARING SPELLS
Each morning, magic-users and rogues may prepare spells as listed on the Spell Advancement table for their classes.
Casting from Scrolls and Spellbooks
Spells on scrolls are treated as prepared spells in this system. A failed casting erases the spell from the scroll, as does copying the spell into a spellbook. Spellbooks may also be used as scrolls in a pinch (if the caster can find the spell in time), though this is best left for very dire circumstances, since it may cause a character to lose his only copy of a spell if he fails in a spell roll.
CASTING SPELLS
To cast a spell, Magic-users and Rogues use the Spellcasting Success table. Magic-users use their character level as their caster level. Rogues use their level/2 (rounded down), which means that level 1 rogues have no ability to cast spells. Characters may add their Intelligence ability bonus to the spellcasting roll.
Spellcasting may have one of three results: Immediate (I) spellcasting allows the spell to take effect right away. Delayed (D) spellcasting means that the spell is delayed until next turn and may be subject to disruption if the spell-caster is struck before the spell takes effect. Negated (N) spellcasting means that the spell fails. If it does, the spell-caster loses the spell and cannot use it again until it is prepared once more the next morning. In addition, the character must make a save or roll on the magical mishap table.
If a spell is disrupted in the middle of casting, save or the spell is negated. If it is negated, save once more or you must roll on the magical mishap table.
TABLE: SPELLCASTING SUCCESS
Spell Spell Caster Level
Level Effect 1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9+
----- ------ --- --- --- --- ----
1 I 16+ 14+ 12+ 10+ 8+
- D 12+ 10+ 8+ 6+ 4+
- N 11- 9- 7- 5- 3-
2 I 18+ 16+ 14+ 12+ 10+
- D 14+ 12+ 10+ 8+ 6+
- N 13- 11- 9- 7- 5-
3 I 20 18+ 16+ 14+ 12+
- D 16+ 14+ 12+ 10+ 8+
- N 15- 13- 11- 9- 7-
4 I n/a 20+ 18+ 16+ 14+
- D 18+ 16+ 14+ 12+ 10+
- N 17- 15- 13- 11- 9-
5 I n/a n/a 20+ 18+ 16+
- D 20 18+ 16+ 14+ 12+
- N 19- 17- 15- 13- 11-
6 I n/a n/a n/a 20+ 18+
- D n/a 20 18+ 16+ 14+
- N n/a 19- 17- 15- 13-
TABLE: MAGICAL MISHAPS
Roll 1d20 + level of the spell.
d20+LVL RESULT
------- -------------------------------
01 - 07 Roll on the minor chaos table.
08 - 10 You are dazed but able to move and defend yourself for one round.
11 - 12 You are stunned and unable to do anything for the next round.
13 - 14 Spell goes wild and strikes random target.
15 - 16 Spell effect is reversed.
17 - 18 You are struck mute for 1d6 rounds.
19 - 20 Your strength is reduced by half for 1d6 hours.
21 - 22 Magical explosion does 1d6 damage to everyone and everything in
a 30 foot radius.
23 - 24 You take 1d6 damage for every level of the spell.
25+ A dimensional vortex opens to the primal chaos. Save vs. magic or be
sucked in. Even if you save, take 3d6 damage.
TABLE: MINOR CHAOS
d20 Result
--- -------------------------------
1 The temperature in a 30ft radius becomes unnaturally cold.
2 A wind blows through the area, smelling of sulphur.
3 Plants wilt and milk curdles in a 30ft radius.
4 Ghostly whispering fills the area for 3d6 rounds.
5 Caster's hair turns white for 3d6 days.
6 Animals in a 30ft. radius are spooked, fleeing the area.
7 Caster's eyes glow red (1-3) or lambent green (4-5) for a day.
8 Caster's nose bleeds for 1d6 x 10 minutes.
9 Caster's body covered with sores that go away in 1d3 days.
10 Caster smells of the grave for 1d3 days.
11 Caster takes on pallor of a corpse for 1d3 days.
12 Caster's voice becomes raspy for 1d3 days.
13 Caster's nails turn black for 1d3 days.
14 Caster's hair grows wildly long.
15 Caster's hair falls out.
16 Caster's nails double in length.
17 Caster's veins become visbly dark under his skin.
18 Caster speaks in unfamiliar language for 1d6 rounds.
19 Caster emits slight, unnatural green glow for 2d6 rounds.
20 Referee chooses any effect or makes up his own.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Now, on to Professional Skills
More of my house rules influenced by EPT. This is a riff off Barker's professional skills, but with the knowledge that Barker's magic rules are very different from D&D/S&W style magic.
Characters start play with 3-5 professional skills. This includes special training with weapons, languages, or spells, depending on the character's class. Characters can improve these skills over time, but this represents how well-trained a new character is.
Most of the fighter skills provide a +1 bonus with appropriate weapons, as noted in the Fighter Weapon Skill Table. Cannoneer is skill in using field artillery pieces. Two-weapon Combat allows a character to fight in melee with one weapon in each hand. This does not grant the character any bonus attack, but does result in an additional +1 bonus to attack rolls. Strategist is skill in battlefield planning and commanding troops.
MAGIC-USER SKILLS
Every magic-user begins with the spell Read Magic in his or her spell book. Professional skills represent additional spells the character may begin play having scribed in his or her spell book.
ROGUE SKILLS
Rogues have access to some fighter weapon skills and to some magic-user spells for his or her spell book.
GAINING ADDITIONAL CLASS SKILLS
Each even level (2, 4, 6, 8, 10) gained, a character may add one more skill from the class list automatically. However, magic-users and rogues are free to also acquire additional spells for their spell-books in play.
Characters start play with 3-5 professional skills. This includes special training with weapons, languages, or spells, depending on the character's class. Characters can improve these skills over time, but this represents how well-trained a new character is.
TABLE: STARTING PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
d20 rol Result
------- -------------------------------------------------
01 - 04 Choose any 3 from the first 4 in your profession.
05 - 08 Choose any 4 from the first 5
09 - 15 Choose any 5 from the first 6
16 - 18 Choose any 5 from the first 7
19 - 20 Choose any 5 from the first 8
TABLE: PROFESSIONAL SKILLSFIGHTER SKILLS
FIGHTER MAGIC-USER ROGUE
------------------ ------------------ ------------------
Brawler Detect Magic Knows 2 modern languages
Pole Arms Read Languages Knows 1 ancient language
Hafted Purify (Putrefy) Brawler
Blades Food and Drink Blades
Archer Light (Dark) I Detect Magic
Musketeer Cure (Cause) Wounds I Light (Dark) I
Two-weapon Combat Hold Portal Cure (Cause) Wounds I
Cannoneer Charm Person Hold Portal
Strategist Sleep Charm Person
Most of the fighter skills provide a +1 bonus with appropriate weapons, as noted in the Fighter Weapon Skill Table. Cannoneer is skill in using field artillery pieces. Two-weapon Combat allows a character to fight in melee with one weapon in each hand. This does not grant the character any bonus attack, but does result in an additional +1 bonus to attack rolls. Strategist is skill in battlefield planning and commanding troops.
TABLE: FIGHTER WEAPON SKILL
SKILL APPLIES TO
---------- ----------------------
BRAWLER Unarmed combat
POLE ARMS Spear, Halberd, Misc. Polearms
HAFTED Axe, Mace, Hammer and Morningstar
BLADES Dagger, Short Sword, Sword, Two-handed Sword
SLINGER Slings
ARCHER Bows, Crossbows
MUSKETEER Pistols, Rifles
MAGIC-USER SKILLS
Every magic-user begins with the spell Read Magic in his or her spell book. Professional skills represent additional spells the character may begin play having scribed in his or her spell book.
ROGUE SKILLS
Rogues have access to some fighter weapon skills and to some magic-user spells for his or her spell book.
GAINING ADDITIONAL CLASS SKILLS
Each even level (2, 4, 6, 8, 10) gained, a character may add one more skill from the class list automatically. However, magic-users and rogues are free to also acquire additional spells for their spell-books in play.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Background Skills for Athanor, take 2 (or is it 3 or 4 by now?)
On reflection and thought, these rules are a bit more heavily influenced by EPT than EGG.
I have tried to fit the skill lists and notes to my vision of Athanor, but with some work I think it could be adapted elsewhere.
Background skills represent the training a character received before beginning his or her life as an adventurer, and tends to include rather mundane activities associated with non-adventuring activities. These skills may have some impact in game, but largely serve to build up your character's background, distinguish him or her as a character, and provide a springboard for role-playing. Consider these a way to help define who your character was and is, rather than a limit on what he or she can do in the game.
Most of the Common skills are fairly self-explantory. Some of the elite skills are scholastic skills similar to modern scholarly areas (Alchemist = Chemistry, Natural Philospher: Physics and Geology; Naturalist: Biology; Scholar: History, Literature and Philosophy). Other professions give some general background in related skills (Assassins might understand poisons and disguise; Courtiers understand how to seduce, flatter and act in polite society; Priests do the same in the Church, etc.)
LEARNING ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND SKILLS
Characters gain additional background skills every 2 levels you advance as noted in the table below:
Character may also spend money and time learning new background skills. This will require down time from adventuring and finding a teacher in addition to monetary costs, as noted in the table below.
I have tried to fit the skill lists and notes to my vision of Athanor, but with some work I think it could be adapted elsewhere.
Background skills represent the training a character received before beginning his or her life as an adventurer, and tends to include rather mundane activities associated with non-adventuring activities. These skills may have some impact in game, but largely serve to build up your character's background, distinguish him or her as a character, and provide a springboard for role-playing. Consider these a way to help define who your character was and is, rather than a limit on what he or she can do in the game.
TABLE: STARTING BACKGROUND SKILLS
d20 ROLL RESULT
-------- ------------------------------------------------------
01 - 06 Choose 1 Common
07 - 12 Choose 1 Common and 1 Skilled
13 - 16 Choose 1 from each category
17 - 18 Choose 2 from Common, and 1 each from Skilled and Elite
19 Choose 3 from Common, 2 from Skilled, and 1 Elite.
20 Choose 3 from Common, and 2 each from Skilled and Elite
All skills should be considered as having three elements: the ability to appraise goods, services, or phenomena involving the skill area; the ability to perform tasks in the skill area; and the possession of social connections based on the skill area.
TABLE: BACKGROUND SKILLS
COMMON SKILLED ELITE
---------------------- ---------------------- ----------------------
Baker Accountant Alchemist
Beggar Animal Handler/Trainer Artist
Bricklayer Armorer Assassin
Butcher Bowyer/fletcher Astronomer
Carpenter Captain, Airship Courtier/Courtesan
Cobbler Healer Dancer
Cook Jeweler/lapidary Engineer/Architect
Dyer/Fuller Locksmith Horticulturalist
Farmer/Gardener Navigator Hunter
Gambler Sail-Maker Mathematician
Glass-blower Scribe Musician
Leather worker/tanner Shipwright, Airship Natural Philosopher
Limner/painter Smith Naturalist
Mason Teacher/Professor Orator
Miner Tracker/Guide Poet
Potter Trader/Merchant Priest
Tailor/seamstress Weaponer Scholar
Tanner Spy
Thief
Weaver
Most of the Common skills are fairly self-explantory. Some of the elite skills are scholastic skills similar to modern scholarly areas (Alchemist = Chemistry, Natural Philospher: Physics and Geology; Naturalist: Biology; Scholar: History, Literature and Philosophy). Other professions give some general background in related skills (Assassins might understand poisons and disguise; Courtiers understand how to seduce, flatter and act in polite society; Priests do the same in the Church, etc.)
LEARNING ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND SKILLS
Characters gain additional background skills every 2 levels you advance as noted in the table below:
TABLE: AUTOMATIC BACKGROUND SKILLS BY LEVEL
SKILL TYPE LEVEL
---------- -----
Common 3
SKILLED 5
ELITE 7
ANY 9
Character may also spend money and time learning new background skills. This will require down time from adventuring and finding a teacher in addition to monetary costs, as noted in the table below.
TABLE: ACQUIRING ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND SKILLS
SKILL TYPE G.P.COST TIME
---------- -------- --------
Common 500 2 months
SKILLED 2000 4 months
ELITE 10000 6 months
Generating some EPT characters to get a better sense of the feel.
Busting out my PDF copy of Empire of the Petal Throne, I generated some starting characters to get a feel for the skill system (as minimal as it is) and how it affected the feel of starting characters. The results are below.
I like the general feel, since the push is less toward mechanistic skills and more about differentiating characters and giving some background -- the key things I want in skills.
I think I need some major work on what I posted yesterday, but I might not be on a bad path.
BTW, these EPT characters really do have a very pulp fantasy feel to them. Character 1 is very much a bureaucratic priest, probably out of his league adventuring. Character 2 is devilishly handsome, talented in magic, but has a puny constitution (too much of a rake to exercise?), while the last is a wall of mountainous manhood. I could see these three as sword and sorcery heroes.
I like the general feel, since the push is less toward mechanistic skills and more about differentiating characters and giving some background -- the key things I want in skills.
I think I need some major work on what I posted yesterday, but I might not be on a bad path.
BTW, these EPT characters really do have a very pulp fantasy feel to them. Character 1 is very much a bureaucratic priest, probably out of his league adventuring. Character 2 is devilishly handsome, talented in magic, but has a puny constitution (too much of a rake to exercise?), while the last is a wall of mountainous manhood. I could see these three as sword and sorcery heroes.
Character 1
Alignment: Good
Profession: Priest
Level: 1
BASIC TALENTS
Strength: 40 Weak -1 hit dice
Intelligence: 51 Average
Constitution: 28 Puny -1 hit dice, 40% revivification, 20% healing/eye fail
Psychic Ability: 55 Average
Dexterity: 68 Clever +1 hit dice, spells and weapons always hit if indicated
Comeliness: 43 Average
ORIGINAL SKILLS
Group I: Merchant
Group II: Scribe-accountant
PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
Knows 2 Ancient Languages
Knows 2 Modern Languges
Can Produce Light (3"r., once per day, 10 turns)
Character 2
Alignment: Good
Profession: Magic User
Level: 1
BASIC TALENTS
Strength: 54 Average
Intelligence: 94 Brilliant +1 hit, damage, 40% find secret doors as pass them.
Constitution: 32 Puny -1 hit dice, 40% revivification, 20% healing/eye fail
Psychic Ability: 79 Somewhat +5% all spells working, may use all levels of spells
Dexterity: 75 Clever +1 hit dice, spells and weapons always hit if indicated
Comeliness: 99 Wildly Handsome
ORIGINAL SKILLS
Group I: Cook, Glass blower, Merchant, Paper-inkmaker
Group II: Animal Trainer, Bird Trainer, Scribe-accountant
Group III: Alchemist, Don Juan, Scholar
PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
Clairvoyance
Control of Self
Illusionist
Telekinesis
Character 3
Alignment: Good
Profession: Warrior
Level: 1
BASIC TALENTS
Strength: 83 Powerful +1 hit, damage
Intelligence: 10 Brilliant -1 hit, damage; cannot use eyes or technology.
Constitution: 87 Very Healthy +1 hit, damage, 70% revivify, 100% healing
Psychic Ability: 52 Average
Dexterity: 83 Dextrous +1 hit, damage
Comeliness: 34 Average
ORIGINAL SKILLS
Group I: Butcher
Group II: Smith-armorer
PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
Mace/flail user
Axeman
Swordsman
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Skills (inspired by AD&D secondary skills and EPT skills)
Here is my loose idea for non-skill skills in Athanor/S&W, in a very loose format. I am NOT conceiving of skills as anything but a loose framework for adjudication. So, for these skills, you would propose an action ("I'm going to sneak up on Count Orlock") a reason ("because I'm trained as an assassin"), and I get to set some odds as the DM ("okay, roll a d6, on a 4-6 you surprise him.")
Skills may be obtained in-game through roleplaying. Usually you need to train for a level and gain the skill next time you level up, but it may take longer or less time in particular circumstances.
Characters get two kinds of skills: background and class, largely to have a mechanic for determining the initial spell(s) a journeyman first-level magic-user starts with.
Table 1: Number of Background Skills
Table 2: Random Background Skills
Table 3: Number of Class Skills
Table 4: Class Skills
Not exactly the cleanest and most polished post I've ever put up here, but there it is.
Skills may be obtained in-game through roleplaying. Usually you need to train for a level and gain the skill next time you level up, but it may take longer or less time in particular circumstances.
Characters get two kinds of skills: background and class, largely to have a mechanic for determining the initial spell(s) a journeyman first-level magic-user starts with.
Table 1: Number of Background Skills
d6 Number of Background Skills
----- --------------------------------
1-3 1
4-5 2
6 None
Table 2: Random Background Skills
d% Result
----- --------------------------------
01-02 Alchemist
03-04 Animal Handler/Trainer
05-06 Armorer
07-08 Artist
09-10 Assassin
11-12 Bowyer/fletcher
13-14 Bricklacker
15-16 Butcher
17-18 Captain, Airship
19-20 Carpenter
21-22 Cobbler
23-24 Cook
25-26 Courtier/Courtesan
27-28 Dancer
29-30 Dyer/Fuller
31-32 Engineer/Architect
33-34 Former/Gardener/Horticulturalist
35-36 Gambler
37-38 Glass-blower
39-40 Healer
41-42 Hunter
43-44 Jeweler/lapidary
45-46 Leather worker/tanner
47-48 Limner/painter
49-50 Mason
51-52 Mathematician
53-54 Miner
55-56 Musician
57-58 Natural Philosopher (Physicist/Geologist)
59-60 Naturalist (Biologist)
61-62 Navigator/Astronomer
63-64 Orator
65-66 Poet
67-68 Potter
69-70 Priest
71-72 Sail-Maker
75-76 Scholar (Historian/Philosopher/Linguist)
77-78 Scribe
79-80 Shipwright, Airship
81-82 Smith
83-84 Spy
85-86 Tailor/seamstress/weaver
87-88 Tanner
89-90 Teacher/Professor
91-92 Tracker/Guide
93-94 Trader/Merchant
95-96 Weaponer
97-98 Weaver
99-00 Woodworker/cabinetmaker
Table 3: Number of Class Skills
d6 Number of Skills
1-2 Choose 1 from the top 2 for your class.
3-5 Choose 2 from the top 3 for your class.
6 Choose 3 from the top 5 for your class.
Table 4: Class Skills
An athlete is skilled in physical tasks; a carouser in drinking and social tasks; and streetwise allows one to navigate the seamier parts of a city. Cannoneers are experts with heavy cannons. Tacticians lead armies. Magic-users start with Detect Magic, Read Magic, and whatever other spells the pick as class skills.
Fighter Magic-User Rogue
-------------- -------------- --------------
Athlete Light Carouser
Carouser Hold Portal Streetwise
Streetwise Cure Wounds I Read/Speak 1 modern language
Cannoneer Charm Person Read 1 ancient language
Tactician Sleep
Not exactly the cleanest and most polished post I've ever put up here, but there it is.
Back to thinking about skills and magic
The past week I have been immersed in my life as an student -- my three-week summer "vacation" for the last three weeks have involved a few days settling into a new apartment, a few days of down-time for the San Diego Comic-Con and the visitors who came to our house as a result, and the rest of my time has been filled by intensive reading in psychology, sociology, and educational theory. I'm about 80 pages into a journal of notes on the stuff after about 2 weeks, but this is what's going to keep me on track to finish what I need to finish by the end of next year so that I can advance to candidacy for my Ed.D. But enough of the personal griping. The point is, my academic life has put the gaming blog life on the back burner again, but as always, stuff is brewing back there.
As I was thinking about my problems with skills and magic, my mind seized upon the old Different Worlds reprint of the first edition of Empire of the Petal Throne that I had sold ten years ago before moving from Santa Cruz to San Diego. In EPT, Dr. Barker included, I remembered in a moment of procrastination, a set of skills and magic rules that, while inspired by D&D, had some key differences.
On top of this, I started looking at Gygax's AD&D 1st edition "secondary skills" list. There may be some sort of solution in that, I thought to myself.
Normally, this is where I would post some draft rules I had cobbled together, but frankly, I'm not there yet. But maybe after I finish the chapter of Sociology of Education I'm reading, I'll start on something.
As I was thinking about my problems with skills and magic, my mind seized upon the old Different Worlds reprint of the first edition of Empire of the Petal Throne that I had sold ten years ago before moving from Santa Cruz to San Diego. In EPT, Dr. Barker included, I remembered in a moment of procrastination, a set of skills and magic rules that, while inspired by D&D, had some key differences.
On top of this, I started looking at Gygax's AD&D 1st edition "secondary skills" list. There may be some sort of solution in that, I thought to myself.
Normally, this is where I would post some draft rules I had cobbled together, but frankly, I'm not there yet. But maybe after I finish the chapter of Sociology of Education I'm reading, I'll start on something.
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