On the OSR Thief and Hate

“I’m a musician you see. I call myself a repercussionist.”

Excerpt From: Brust, Steven. “Tiassa.” Tom Doherty Associates.

It seems everyone tries to "fix" the OSR thief via Houserules at least once. Why? It's because in a skill light system the OSR thief clings desperately to the deplorable skill system. All the things wrong with skill systems are evident right here at the beginnings of the game. The "new" editions expand and perpetuate the problems found here. Scaling, balance and the "all" you can be good at symptoms originate right here in Greyhawk Supplement I. The thief is that fine line example of mechanics that defines a class. It's existence is a self fulfilling prophecy leading to greater and greater specialization and limitation.

Everyone can attack, anyone can kick in a door or listen. Other classes stand out. MUs have spells. Clerics support via healing and buffs not to mention the Turn undead feature. Fighters are tougher but the thief stands apart. The thief has a handful of specialities that only they excel at. After several months playing OSR, I hate calling for or making in secret a hide in shadows roll. Why, because the Thief excels at this. As a former 4E DM this a wierd statement to make I know. Why do we have this mechanic? Defenders of OSR point to the Grey Mouser as the reason. I get it, I really do. We all have a hard time facing up to our sacred cows. As you can see below there are several proposed ways to nix this trend.

http://smolderingwizard.com/2014/03/29/a-different-take-on-the-thief-the-rogue-for-swords-wizardry-whitebox/

http://nilisnotnull.blogspot.com/2013/05/thieves-evolved.html

http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?713543-OSR-The-thief-in-a-skill-free-system

None of these really fix the issue though do they. They just move the problem around. I have a similar issue with Turn Undead but that's an article for another day. So what do we do about this? We can eliminate the thief. We can Houserule the thief as above or similar. Is there another solution?

Thief Skills

• Climb Walls
• Pick Pockets
• Pick Locks
• Disable Traps
• Hear Sounds
• Hide in Shadows
• Move Silently

Thief Special Abilities

• Backstab
• Read Magical Writings
• Read Normal Languages

The above skills are all things that another class can do, but the Thief "does them better". Why? It's part of their background and training. While his fighter was playing with pointy bits, her MU was nose deep in books, and my cleric was on his knees the Thief was slogging it out in alleys, running for their life and being subjected to Oliver Twist style training. So is it really as simple as a matter of background? Can we sum everything a Thief is as a sneaky underhanded fighter? Is that not just the ideal of a modern day rogue? I don't think so. At the core of the Thief is the idea of an expert. Someone who isn't the best fighter. They are the epitamy of the jack of all trades. The person that picks up these little tid bits of real world, practical hands on knowledge and combine them into surprising results. Now how do we demonstrate this with out creating the skill system above? I think this comes down to luck.

Solo: I call it luck.

Kenobi: In my experience, there is no such thing as luck.

- Star Wars, George Lucas

Make Your Own Luck

Thieves make their own luck via their knowledge. Typically, when a PC kicks in a door, listens, or hides etc. the DM or Player rolls for success. This is done in one of two ways, roll a d6 and compare to a table or roll 3d6, 4d6 or more under a given stat. In the case of the Thief, why not roll an extra die and remove the highest result. Thus when rolling 3d6, instead roll 4d6 and remove the highest die. For example a roll of 1,3,4,5 would remove the 5 and yield an 8. This represents their improved ability. This coupled with any DEX abilities gives them a huge advantage, reflecting their ability. The only "skill" off their list they aren't better at is then Listening. Gone is the need to track individual % for each skill. The harder the task or less likely to succeed the more dice are rolled. Want to pick pocket the Liche of Unholy Doom roll 7D6 and drop the highest result, if less than DEX success!

Leave the special abilities as they stand and roll on.

Wait A Minute

Isn't this method switching one set of skills for another? In a way yes it is. It's balanced against what other players can do, but still gives Thieves a leg up. It doesn't reflect increased power as a Thief levels. Neither does a fighters ability to open doors, a dwarf's ability to detect stone work, or an elves ability to detect secret doors. Rolling that extra die could level just as back stab or turn undead does, but it doesn't need to.

The only other method to keep the Thief not already mentioned is to add mini games, like lock picking and trap disarming. How you indicate a thief is better at these tasks is up to you, though the suggestion of unjamming is workable.

I close having added my take on the senseless enterprise of trying to fix what can not be fixed, and may not even be broken.

 

On the Spell Plague and Wailing

1289 5A

What is the Spell Plague?

As far as the mortals on Ea-reth are concerned the Spell Plague was a violent magical storm that occurred in 1289 of the Fifth Age. It arose over the southern edges of Yathe. Blue flames licked across the sky. The ancient Towers of Balance in Yathe and The Citadels of Magic on Ovelesk saw their load stones shatter and crumble. Ley lines across the Feywild, Shadowfell and Ea-reth ceased to function. The great storm moved across the continent changing the lands as it passed. It laid waste to Ghenna, turning the land to a smoldering waste known as the Plaguelands. A great rift opened up to the Underrealms in the Wyrdarmik. The drow city beneath was crushed by the collapse and areas formerly reached thru hundreds of miles of tunnels were suddenly open to the bright sky.

Virtually none of the population of Ea-Reth was left untouched by the passage of the storm. Hundreds of mages, all those casting spells or rituals at the time the storm appeared, were destroyed or driven mad by its power. Many more apprentices died battling the results of their master's magic loosed upon the world. For the next ten years magic remained unpredictable and dangerous. Few chose to train in spellcraft, and the great magic schools of the world closed. Gradually over the next few years, the great storm faded from the sky. With it all manner of magic ceased to function completely. Psionics, technology and religion gained followers and power. Priests began to discover that a great divine battle had taken place. Gulohg, the Usurper, and the Raven Queen were no more. Their deaths had been brought about by the power of the slaying stones. As a result all the lodestones and their granular form, residuum, around the world were destroyed. A cult arose dedicated to Dracorrin, god of the afterlife. Dracorrin priests claim that their deity is master over spirit and animus. They preach that when one dies you are judged by Dracorrin, if he finds your actions fit you pass on to an afterlife in service to your deity. However, if he finds you unfit, you are returned to life as an undead. For nearly twenty years humanoids were cut off from the Feywild, Shadowfell, Astral Sea, Sigil and the Elemental Chaos as planar magic, like all others had ceased to function.

These years are called the Wailing. It was a sad and dangerous time where only muscle, mind and faith stood against the wild creatures of the world. In Kinderland the Alia Tai faced a revolution from their people. Without lodestones the ruling elite and their kin were hunted down and slain in a great purging. Mages across the world faced similar attacks, bereft of magic and their Alia Tai protectors many fled. Mobs tore down towers and took books of magical learning to be used as toilet paper and fuel for fires. Millenias of knowledge and history were lost. Remote towns and settlements bereft of magical means to receive goods and services ceased to exist or where over run by hordes of orcs and goblins. All contact was lost with Sigil, and many suspect that no one survived.

How did this stop?

It was in the middle of the Great Plain, north of the Molmosarc that things began to change. On Hexa 6th 1313 of the fifth age, a single red flower suddenly sprang into being before a young barbarian boy. His tribe looked on in astonishment as blue light filled his eyes and fire sprang from his hands. The young boy was summarily put to death for his crime of witchcraft. Similar, events spread across the world over the next six months. Former magic users felt the return of power, some ignored it but many returned to their calling. They soon found that magic was not as they remembered it. With many magical texts lost or destroyed the slow accumulation of knowledge began again.

Impact to Ritual Magic

Without residiuum, the universal conduit of magic, many of the rituals needed to be rediscovered. Ritualists soon found that herbs, plants and minerals that resided in areas formerly containing ley-lines contained a lesser form of the power, residuum did. Thru experimentation and careful study many rituals were rewritten with these components as catalysts. Further, research found that as a caster grew in power he could channel his own life force into simple rituals and cast them in seconds rather than minutes.

Game terms - 4E

Rituals of five levels lower - Replace 100% of the value of ritual components with 1 healing surge for a casting time equal to 1 action. (Standard, Minor, OR Move)

Rituals of a lower level - Replace 50% of the value of ritual components with 1 healing surge for a casting time equal to 1 round. (Ie all 3 actions, Std, Move and minor)

Rituals of your level - Replace 50% of the value of ritual components with 2 healing surges for a casting time as printed

Rituals greater than your level - 100% components and casting as printed

Rituals greater than your level +5 - Can't Cast

Impact to Magic Items

Many items formed in the vicinity of lodestones, made with residuum or made from lodestones ceased to function. Magic swords became well crafted hunks of sharpened metal. Suits of armor and maigcal cloth rusted or crumpled to dust. Once intelligent crystal chess sets became little more than carved stone. Only items that had to be manually activated by ritual or keywords, and powerful artifacts survived the Wailing intact. For many years no new magical items could be fashioned, without residuum the art of enchanting steel and cloth seemed to forever be lost.

It was a dwarf by the name of Rundik Silverbeard that came across the solution to the problem. Travelling across the Valley of the Twelve tribes he happened to meet a primal goliath that still made magic items for his tribe. Rundik spent several winters with the novice smith. He traded the art of forging Mithril, much to the dismay of his kin, for the knowledge of enchanting items. The primal tribe had long infused stone and wood items with a bit of their life-force. This life-force acted as a catalyst for the other ritual components in the process. Rundik perfected the art before taking it back to his clan. They soon started to fashion an assortment of common magical items that are being sold in major cities today. All Rundik's items are marked with the dwarven sigil for twelve in remembrance of the legendary tale about the forging of the first weapons by Moradin and the twelve lives he sacrificed in his craft, and the trade that was made with the primal barbarians of the Twelve Tribes.

Game terms 4E

Enchant Magic Item - 75% cost of printed ritual components and a HS is permanently expended by the crafter of the item, this ritual can not be cast in haste

Transfer Enchantment - As printed this ritual can not be cast in haste

Disenchant Magic Item - creates ritual components worth 15% the value of the item, the healing surge needed to craft the item is lost to the ethers (ie returns to the original caster) upon disenchantment

Brew Potion - Can be cast at 50% of listed cost but the caster expends a healing surge (this surge is regained by the caster when the potion is consumed), can also be cast at 100% cost of components

Impact to Fey Crossings, Shadowfall and Portals

Fey crossings, shadowfalls and portals remain inert unless activated via ritual by someone of the correct origin. For example an elf/eladrin/gnome (Fey) caster who journeys to a Fey Crossing can activate it via ritual. Once activated it returns to functioning normally. Shadowfalls can be activated by Shades/Shadar-kai etc (Shadow Origin). Portals need to be activated by their destination race (ie a Demon or Elemental would need to open a portal to the Elemental Chaos, or an Immortal/Devil to open one to the Astral Sea). No one has yet discovered what type of race will be needed to open a connection to Sigil, City of Doors.

FPR - In Which Kiri Splits the Party

This weeks Family Play Report comes a little late. My cousin plays Kiri the Elven Thief. I named her Kiri for the blog my players don't get to pick names until third level. My cousin has never played D&D before. She is not much of a gamer, or a geek but she's smart. We can fix the rest.

The Hangover, Ea-Reth style

 

This week the party took advantage of Jeff Rients Carousing Rules from the Miscellaneum of Cinder. I read the old rules and as a result gave out more XP than was strictly appropriate per the rules, however the risk vs. reward was equivalent so... next time I am implementing the save vs. poison and will have to work on expanding the table to 100 entries.

The rules as written

• 1) Player rolls 1d6 (1d8 town, 1d10 city) and a save/less than level
• 2) Player expends 1d6 x 100 gp (150 gp town, 250 gp city), if gp exceeds PCs wealth debt is owed to an unsavory NPC
• 3) Player gains XP = GP
• 4) if the value of the die is less than PCs level or the save is failed then roll a d20 on Jeff's table depending which version of the rules are used

4 of my 7 players partook, with Joel the Knave, Francine the Thief and Kristoph of Tyr abstaining. Now the results:

• Kiri and Nathalie both rolled a 15 they are wanted by the guards for a money laundering scheme they are implicated in
• Geoff the Chaotic rolled a 14, he is now a member of secret society, that he can't remember the pass phrases or signs for
• Ara of Yero rolled an 18 falling head over heels in love with the parties henchman Fred the Ranger. The dwarf must have been attracted to his Bluto style beard... Luckily Fred is single at the moment

All the participating players except for the Cleric are now dirt broke.

The party gathered their wits. The wanted disguising themselves to sneak out of town. They used their map to locate the Azure River, the burnt out city and the two mountain peaks. They forded a river, climbed the narrow path and reached the cliff top. Two lonely buildings stood there, no sign of the Keep they expected. The party camped and awaited sunrise. I missed a choice opportunity to have Fred approach Ara on his watch. In the morning the party entered the dungeon via the slate staircase carefully avoiding the oak stairs.

In the Dungeon

The players slew

• A Giant Ant (Warrior) - finding a scaled corpse with a necromantic medallion in its belly
• 9 Giant Rats - guarding 7 stone urns with assorted dangerous goods and 1500 in sp
• 2 zombies from a room full of shriekers

Kiri the Elves Solo Journey

Kiri and Geoff entered a room with two sofas, an ottoman, and two moth eaten tapestries. Kiri moved about the room poking the walls, while Geoff rubbed his aching feet and sat on the ottoman. After a few minutes a rumbling began beneath the room. Geoff, whose player is an experienced 3E and 4E player, decided to bolt for the archway where the rest of the party huddled. Kiri elected to keep pressing the limestone bricks behind the tapestries. The party was shocked to see the entire room descend taking Kiri with it, elevator style.

Kiri now on a different level, sets about mapping and cautiously exploring. She narrowly avoids a confrontation with three undead. Making her way deeper into the dungeon she hears the clack, clack of approaching toe nails on stone. She quickly makes her way back to hide behind a statue of Seelian Coil. The harpy catches scent of her elven blood and taunts, "Come out my pretty, it has been so long since I have had Fey blood!" As the harpy passes by Kiri springs from her hiding place and takes half the beasts life. Kiri takes two more swings unable to connect. A claw attack causes minor wounds 1 of her 3 HP. Kiri shakes off the charm spell before it can take hold and flees toward the elevator room. She rounds a corner, douses her lantern and stands stock still vanishing as only an OSR thief can. The harpy runs by, Kiri following it down the hall silently. The harpy is searching behind the sofas when the Thief's blade erupts from her chest. Kiri catches her breath and the room ascends to the upper level of the dungeon whence it came.

Kiri finds the party just as Ara deftly smashes a zombies head in. Her mace serving her better than Turn Undead.

We ended there.

Family Home Game Session Report - Dead Henchman

Paul, Dead Henchmen

Just wrapped up our weekly session of D&D, using Sword & Wizadry. This week the party bargained with a local Ranger Guild. They would clear off the local giant badgers that were raiding farmers live-stock. In exchange the guild would provide a map to the Keep of a long deceased warlord. The party hopes to gain a cure for Lycanthropy from the warlords tomb.

The eight party members (Joel the Knave, Paul the Beggar, Nathalie the Fighter, Geoff the Wizard, Francine the Ranger, Kristoph the Paladin, Ara the Cleric, Kiri the Elf) met with two farmers in the Valley of Kuln. The farmers were fleeing a drake that broke into the hen house. Joel, Francine and Paul slowly approached. The deafening squawk of chickens and flying feathers concealed them. The side of the chicken coop had been opened by gigantic claws. Inside a winged lizard crouched. It greedily gulped eggs and pinned chickens from fleeing. Francine mouthed "not a badger" and backs off. The drake, drawn by the movement, smells the delicious trail rations in the halflings pack. It snakes its long neck about sniffing here and there. Francine empties her pack but not before her bedroll, pack and a crowbar are lost to the beast. Meanwhile, Geoff notices that the farmers field has large furrows in it. The Paladin and Elf move up to investigate. At their approach a giant badger bursts from the ground. The paladin lashes out with his sword. The badger reels in agony and immediately turns and flees.

After the parties brush with the beasts. Joel the knave, our 7 year old player, determines that these drakes and badgers must have some kind of symbiotic relationship much like a honey badger and a honey guide. Francine convinces the party to gather animals from the surrounding farms and attempt to lure the beasts out into the wilderness where herds of game are known to water. The party splits up to buy livestock 17 chickens, 4 goats, 5 sheep, 6 lambs and a cow are purchased.

The Paladin escorts the mage back to Kuln. They cross paths with a raiding party of bugbears but hide in the woods. Kuln is a different sight then when they left as the High Thane is no longer in charge. They bargain their way into town and manage to trade a found spell book for a scroll.

The rest of the party implements their plan to lure the badgers to the new hunting grounds. The plan works too well when all three wandering monster checks come up 2's. A running battle ensues. The party dragging the herd through the forest while fending off drakes and badgers. The rapid pace soon takes its toll and only Francine is able to keep running. Paul lagging the farthest behind is dragged into a tunnel with two sheep. Joel turns back valiantly rushing to aid his follower. Kiri, Nathalie and Ara rush into the woods. A cry of rage causes Ara to turn back. She sees Paul decapitated as he climbs from the tunnel. Joel screams in anger and attacks the badger. His rage is not enough and the badger bites into him. Ara hefts her hammer and screams "Moradin" rushing into battle. A blow of her hammer slays the beast and a healing spell revives the fallen knave.

The exhausted Nathalie and Kiri are treed by another badger. A pint of lamp oil and a bit of fire drive off the badger but sets the pine needles a blaze. The two leap to a nearby tree and quickly douse the fire in dirt, not water. Francine finishes leading the badgers on occasionly cutting a sheep loose when a drake or badger gets too close. Reaching her objective she frees the remaining live stock and ducks into the woods circling back. On her way she is visited by the strange apparition that has appeared to several other party members beseeching their aid. The woman in a velvet green dress wears a diamond tiara. In this instance her hair is raven black, despite the fact that the two previous times the woman's hair was described as blonde and red.

The party burns the badger corpse and buries Paul's headless corpse with a few flattering words about his selfless sacrifice. The party returns to Kuln. Geoff sets out the next day to cast his scroll on the farms. A last resort to ensure the farms remain safe. Francine returns to the Guild collecting a map and a pin inducting her as a member in probation. Joel sets about hiring a replacement for Paul. Fred of Narmox was once a forester before his entire crew was slain by orcs. He has sworn a vendetta against the species. Joel convinces him that for a third of a single share of treasure and 1 gp per day that the party could help him to kill orcs. Fred agrees. Ara enters the Kuln Rift and begins searching for proof regarding the Green dressed lady.

Open Quests:

• Mysterious Apperation of the Sorceress in Green
• Cure the Rat-King Kersus Rodemus
• Find the Cure in the Smoke de Krag Keep
• Of Charms and Raiding Bugbears

Ack Poison, Save Or Die!

“Poison!" Grover yelped. "Don't let those things touch you or..."

"Or we'll die?" I guessed.

"Well...after you shrivel slowly to dust, yes."

"Let's avoid the swords," I decided.

― Rick Riordan

Prompted by a post on Google+ and This Gents Blog I decided to throw a quick post up on poison.

Firstly, let me say I killed off my daughter's 1st level fighter with a giant spider's Save or Die poison a few weeks ago. My 8 year old, thief level 1, tried to suck the poison out but she failed her save again. Luckily, he succeeded.

Since, then I have thought about ways I could have made this encounter cooler. The following are thoughts that coalesced in the conversation tonight. The blog entry deals with specific creatures, but what about those situations when you are creating a creature or an assassin and want an effect that is consistent with the rest of your world? Check the Virulence table and roll the appropriate die on the effects table below.

To be clear I am in no way promoting DM's to shy away from Save Or Die! nor am I promoting DM fiat! though the option rules at the bottom of the effects table walk a fine line of eliminating Player Agency. Inexperienced DMs are warned to use these with caution lest they end up tied from the ceiling fan.

Poison Virulence

1. Man Made poison distilled from nature - roll 1d20
2. Man Made poison as weapon - roll 1d12
3. Magic Creature Poison as Weapon - roll 1d10
4. Magic Creature Poison as Defense - roll 1d8
5. Natural Creature Poison as Defense - roll 1d6
6. Natural Creature Poison to Hunt - roll 1d4

Poison Effects

1. DMG 1 + Save vs. Poison, Fail - Ill for 1D4 rounds -2 to all rolls (Sickened) - After Recovered
2. DMG X + Save vs. Poison, Fail - 1D4 rounds Sickened - After 1 turn (Fatigued) can not run/charge, -2 to all rolls, increased spell mishap, -10% skills - After 8 hours rest recovered // Success Effect 1
3. DMG X + Save vs. Poison, Fail - 1D4 rounds Sickened - After 1D4 turns Fatigued - After Sickened until 8 hours rest // Success Effect 2
4. DMG X + 1d6 dmg + Save vs. Poison, Fail - Paralyzed for 1d4 rounds - After Effect 3 // success no damage + effect 3
5. DMG X + 1d6 dmg + Save for half, Fail - Paralyzed for 1d4 rounds - after Effect 3 // Success half damage and effect 2
6. DMG X + 1d8 dmg + save for half, Fail - Paranoid Delusions 01-40 attack adjacent person, 41-80 hurl weapon/cast spell on random person, 81-100 Role Play Past experience - success half dmg effect 4
7. DMG x + save or die, success as effect 5
8. DMG x + save or die, success as effect 6
9. DMG x + save or die, success as effect 6
10. DMG x + 1d6 - Save vs. Poison, fail paranoid delusions for 1d4 turns // half damage sickened
11. DMG x + 2d6 - Save vs. Poison, fail 1d4 stat damage for 1d4 days // success for half
12. DMG x + 2d8 - Save vs. Poison, fail Blind, 1d4 stat damage for 1d6 days // success half dmg
13. DMG x + Blind - Save or Die
14. DMG x + 1d4 Stat DMG - Save or Die
15. DMG x + 1d6 Stat DMG - Save Or Die
16. DMG x + 3d6 dmg + Save or Die
17. DMG x + 4d6 dmg + Save or Die
18. DMG x + 4d6 dmg + 1d4 stat DMG + Save or Die
19. DMG x + 6d6 dmg + Save or Die
20. DMG x + 6d6 dmg + 1d6 Stat DmG + Save or Die

13-19 the die effects here progress as 1 thru 7 but instead of recovering the character dies. This allows a character to roll up a new PC between tragic ending moments of their characters life.

20 the character takes ten steps and dies.

No Playtesting has been done on these rules. I take no responsibility for flipped tables.

 

Utter Randomness(Pt 2) - Falling Damage

Today I have been running around town and thinking about Dungeon Entrance A. #A is reached via the surface. The room is the pinnacle of a 150' tower built above the city, reminiscent of the Pharos of Alexandria. Only two walls and a partially covered staircase remain of the upper story. The oaken staircase is rotting and has the potential for a nasty fall. This hazard has the makings of a gotcha or zap trap. To eliminate that I want to be sure my players are given agency, ie given the clues to perceive the risk before the outcome is determined. To do this I will start with a warning description like:

The oaken stairs are choked with wild grasses and partially clogged with soil. As you approach a strong musty odor assails your nostrils. The dark limestone walls are slick with mildew as the wooden stairs descend steeply 10' feet ahead of you before turning out of sight. The smallest sound echoes into the deep chambers below, it is clear these stairs continue down a great distance beneath you.

My hope is this conveys 1) the disuse and lack of maintenance of the stairwell 2) the potential weakening of the wood. If this does not prompt further action a second warning will be issued thusly.

As you make your way to the first landing the stairs shudder and creak beneath you. The damp wood sags under your weight. The sound seems to reverberate from deep beneath you.

If this prompts further inquiry I will provide some of the following information based on player/character class asking, area being observed etc.

1. Dwarf - you can make out the faint traces of masonry marks that were probably covered over by paint before the elements washed them away centuries ago. They read 150' feet above base.
2. Mage/Druid/Ranger - you recognize the black rot fungi growing on the walls and wooden stair case. The wood is likely in am advance state of decay and has a decent chance of giving way.
3. Fighter/Thief examining wood- the grain of the wood seems to be separating from itself, probably due to the high moisture content in the air. This has likely weakened the wood components of the structure

Mechanics - Roll All the Dice Method

The PCs will be thru this area several times in searching the dungeon. A single roll for the entire trek down or up will indicate the circumstances.

There is a 10% chance that after the first landing that a PC will fall at some point during the climb down. A role of 1,2 on a d20 indicates a fall. This will accumulate 5% on each subsequent venture up to a max of 50%.

D12+D3 (or D30 div 2) indicates the 10 ft section that the fall occurs in. A result of 1 should be ignored as this is the "safe" section. A percent roll indicates if the fallen hits room 1 at the bottom or comes to rest in one of the lower sections of the stairway.

D4 will indicate the number of individuals to fall and a D8 will indicate the party member in marching order to fall. If multiples the persons immediately behind then ahead of the indicated fallen will also be affected. If a 4 is rolled the two individuals behind, and one ahead will be affected. Saves are allowed for those near the edge of the hole.

If individuals are tied together or tied to the structure additional save rolls for the rope (DC 2), the wooden structure DC (2 + 1 for every 200 lbs) or the stone structure (DC 1) will effect the outcome.

Falling Damage

This brings me to the final bit of my thinking and an old issue of Dragon #88 where physics were used by two authors to argue for and against the AD&D systems. I have done extensive reading today from Dragonsfoot to GiantsInThePlayground and every where in between, the same arguments are still alive today. Rather than rehashing these age old debates I will simply list out a few of the systems and let you read the debates for and against linear falling damage on your own time.

DX mitigated

• In 4E falling damage is 1d10 per 10 feet, Reduced by Acrobatics div 2
• In 3E falling damage is 1d6 per 10 feet, with 1d6 being non lethal if on purpose with a successful Jump/Tumble check DC 15
• In OD&D it is 1d6 damage per 10' fallen – but with a saving throw (up to 50') on a d6 to reduce some of this damage. For each increment of 10' there is a 1 in 6 chance of limiting the damage. Thus a result of 6 is all damage reduced, 5 is only 1d6 dealt , 4 is only 2d6... 1 is all 5d6. At 40' 6 and 5 is all dmg reduced etc.

DX straight

• In 2E it is 1d6 to a max 20d6, interestingly there is admonishment of the physics based discussions and listed is the 1972 record holder having survived a 33,000 foot fall. The runner up is also mentioned
• Hackmaster 4th Edition uses the 2E rules except the witty commentary is much better
• Sword and Wizardry it is 1d6 per increment of 10 yards per the aerial combat rules

DX cumulative

• In 1E AD&D it is 1d6 up to 20d6 per 10' though later dragon articles claim this was meant to be cumulative with 1d6+2d6 being a 20' fall
• Hackmaster Basic* it is a complex chart but at 10' 1d6p-1 maxing out over 55' at 9d12p, the p referring to the penetrating die, a unique feature of Basic. Additionally there are rules for the substances being landed on and the intent of the fallen
• OSRIC it is "Falls of less than 5 ft do no damage in game terms; falls of up to 10 ft cause 1d6 damage; if the distance fallen is 20 ft or less, 3d6 damage is inflicted; falls of up to 30 ft cause 6d6, 40 ft is 10d6, 50 ft is 15d6, and falls of over 50 ft cause 20d6 points of damage." A saving throw is DM optional

This is my experience with falling damage in rule sets. Given my extensive reading I haven't seen any house rules that make more sense than these to me. Though there is a thread on Giants... that takes creature size into account that might be workable.

Falling damage Conclusion

For my games I will use 1d6p per 10' feet for a fall, I will allow a save when near a surface to reduce damage fallen thus far by a d6 as in OD&D. If a character falls over 50' they save or die. A save indicates they are unconscious and stable at 0 hp. An intentional jump down of 20' or less succeeds.

* I haven't gotten my hands on the Advanced rules of the new addition yet but it is on my wish list. The new Hacklopedia is a thing of beauty.

 

Utter Randomness (pt 1) - History of Krag Dungeon

The Tale Thus Far

Using a copy of the random Dungeon generating tables from the DMG, I have rolled up four levels of a dungeon for an up coming game. The rooms are evolving organically with assistance from a few documents. Namely, DM1 and DM2 aids from Hackslashmaster.blogspot.com. This is aiding in populating interesting treasure and fleshing out the trick/trap/special sections beyond what came up on the rolls. I populated the monsters with randomly generated monsters from the Sword and Sorcery encounter tables. They are dungeon level appropriate but not PC level appropriate encounters. The levels were divided into zones and the monster room assigned via these logical zones.

I am now looking over the levels and zones and playing archeologist for this site trying to determine a baseline history for the area. From this I will build my legends and rumors/hooks to draw the PCs here. This isn't strictly necessary as the PCs won't ever have all this info, but for my own curiosity I couldn't resist.

History - Third Age Legend - Wolfgang Von Schmauch (Smoke)

The lowest reaches were once part of a keep. I know that my players are looking for a cure for lyncanthropy due to events in the small village where our campaign originated. The cleric of Yero (Dwarven forge God) sent a missive to her small temple. It came back saying that the only mention of a cure in the temple's record was an old legend. The Legend of Smoke de Krag.

 

The warlord Smoke de Krag locked his beloved wife in a tower of his keep, high above the Azure River. His wife suffered from a rare form of lunacy. She was oft heard to howl at the full moon from the tower. A few times she had escaped her confines and was found naked the next morning laying in a house of some villager that had been partially devoured. Despite this Smoke could not bear to judge, nor slay her. He gathered his bravest and most loyal knights and set out on a quest to find a cure for her. For six years he searched. His quest brought him to Isles of Gaidan and to the Witches of the Amon Ka. The Amon Ka hunted lycanthropes near to extinction fifty years earlier during the Purging. Smoke sent an envoy to them seeking any knowledge they had of a cure. The envoy was well received and three of the senior most Amon Ka with six Alia Tai guards agreed to accompany Smoke back to his keep to cure his wife. Smoke had never seen the small Kinder guards before, and was amazed by the silver pikes set with lodestones of earth magic they wielded. Smoke returned home and sent word to his knights still far abroad that a cure was found. The witches spent three weeks sequestered preparing rites for the coming full moon. When it came they unleashed their magics. Smoke and all in his Keep where brought low by a magical sleep. The Alia Tai went to the Northern Tower. There they drove their pikes into the sleeping werewolf and slew her. The screaming broke the spell and Smoke rushed to his wife's aid wielding arms against the witches and their guards. A deadly battle ensued. Enraged by the betrayal Smoke destroyed the witches, but this act was not without consequence. The elder witch laid a dark curse on the warlord with her last breath, and the Alia Tai drove his pike into the ground opening a great rift in the cliff side. The Keep sank deep into it. The knights returned to find their Lord's broken body in the rumble. They built a crypt for him in the natural caverns the rift had revealed and sealed the true cure for lyncanthropy they found within. It is said that the craggy rift that swallowed the Keep still smokes from the fires of his anger on the night of the full moon.

 

So what does this mean?

From this tale I know the lower two levels of the dungeon are the crypt, the natural caves that were discovered and the remnants of the Keep and it's north tower. I also know that the cursed Wolfgang is somewhere about these levels. Lastly I know that the undead wandering about could be cursed spirits and animated corpses of these witches and Wolfgang's court. I still need to know what happened to cause the other two levels to show up.

History - Fourth Age - Byzantine City of Blaewen

In 1219 4A a bustling town stood here. At that time the Kuln Dwarves were just moving into the mountains, driven here by events in Torvin. (Ties to previous campaigns my players will be aware of) The ruler of the town was Orelius Magnumnus. He was a poor leader, but a brilliant politician. On the cliff top above the city he had a colleseum built for his gladiatorial games. Around the colleseum were buildings of pleasure, training and relaxation for his guests to enjoy. Even a temple to Krum was raised so that offerings could be made before the contests. Orelius coffers were low due to extensive taxes from Cartha. His mines were not producing, his fields would not grow due to the drought. He was in dire times, so he hatched a plot. He gathered the slaves from the fields and the mines to train as gladiators or to feed to the magical beasts. He sent invites far and wide to dignitaries from all over the Republic to come and witness his games. Meanwhile he slaughtered the local thieves guild and had his grain and ore clerks to pose and bookies. He rightly guessed that Byzantines loved to gamble on the gladiatorial sport. He weighted the odds heavily in his favor and garnered much coin in the first days. High ranking officials found themselves on the winning side more oft then naught. With their masters winning the lower officials did not dare to depart. For the first ten days the plan worked perfectly then came two Minotaur brother Nurn and Garn. They had been bought from duergar slave traders in the newly formed Kuln. The two Minotaur's could not be defeated, despite Garn being only one handed. The carefully orchestrated odds quickly turned as the other slaves took heart from the brothers example. Orelius became infuriated, he thru more and more men into the arena against the brothers. Still they won. Amused by the turn of events a long time rival wrote to Cartha and soon the Emperor himself had arrived. It was at this moment that Nurn and Garn launched their attack. The numerous slaves now trained, seized arms and revolted. The emperors forces retaliated to quell the uprising.Thousands died, the city burned and few escaped the onslaught. The city was abandoned its gladiatorial complex all that remained. The emperor left it standing as a reminder to those who would defy their duty and weaken the empire.

Rumors

In the early years of the fifth age countless copies of Blaewen's maps circulated. An Adventuring Party heard the legends of the rich that died here and came seeking their fortune. Amongst the treasure they found a silver pike and were never heard from again.

The Wolflord Smoke hold's court on a cliff above the Azure River. It's said on a full moon you can hear his call lamenting her death.

 

Three witches still stalk the ruins of Krag Dungeon the clank of their halfling skeletal guards following behind them.

 

The Warlord Wolfgang Smoke was buried with a witch killing blade.

 

The ghost of Orelius Magnumnus haunts the cliff sides, seeking the descendants of the gladiators that turned against him.

 

Any other rumors I missed from these tales?

 

Old School Renaissance

 

Next seems to be looking to old school games like LL, OSRIC, BX, AD&D, Swords and Wizadry to revive some of the things that were missing from the 4E experience, at least for me. I noticed something when 4th Core debuted and captured my attention. Player agency was severally lacking in my game. I believe the skill system and skill challenges had turned some of my players into little automatons. They stopped thinking about what their characters wanted and started focusing on getting the next bread crumb to get to the next fight. This was probably my fault as much as theirs. 4E focus on combat encounters and skill challenges, led me into the trap of designing adventures for the characters rather than for the players. Instead of trying to challenge my players I was focusing on challenging the characters. Not just in combat, but in skills and even story.

 

This realization has lead me to wonder what is the use of skills in the game. I find my self agreeing with Courtney on Hackslashmaster.blogspot.com This site is chocked full of great advice. Both On general RPG design and On adventure prep ideas. The DM/GM aids are fantastic and easily plundered. As soon as I get a chance I will pick up his NPC booklet. Also check out his Patreon http://www.patreon.com/hackandslash. This writer deserves the shameless plug after all he has contributed to the web over the years. Spend a few hours reading thru his blog with edition-less eyes and you can see a lot of his points.

Another must read is the Alexandrian.net, though I can't support all his ideas his node based adventure design is brilliant (http://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/7949/roleplaying-games/node-based-scenario-design-part-1-the-plotted-approach). There is a lot of other great posts here but his commitment to 3.5 isn't my style. Been there done that I suppose, boxes of mags and books in my garage piled beneath the 4E stuff.

My campaign is off and running seven players, a few hirelings and four sessions of the most fun I have had in years. If you burnt out on tactical combat, lame threats and too much rolling instead of thinking, look thru some of these sites and go back to roots of the game, I understand WoTC reasoning now. Next might not be the right design but the their instincts are. The future of D&D is in the past, OSR.

Some more things I have been reading:

• http://rpgcharacters.wordpress.com/maps/adventures/
• http://wheel-of-samsara.blogspot.com/2010/10/gedankenexperiment-vancian-rarity.html
• http://blessingsofthedicegods.blogspot.com/p/dungeon-dozen-fan-index.html
• http://9and30kingdoms.blogspot.com
• http://dreamsinthelichhouse.blogspot.com
• Dragonfoot.org
• Jrients.blogspot.com
• http://tao-dnd.blogspot.com