Thursday, November 20, 2008

draft Cinder house rules, part 1

Here’s a first stab at house rules for my upcoming Labyrinth Lord campaign. Part 2 will cover tweaks to the magic system.

Ordinary People in Extraordinary Circumstances
Character statistics are rolled 3d6 in order. The human classes do not require any stat minimum to qualify, so you can play a stupid Wizard, foolish Cleric, klutzy Thief, or puny Fighter in the dice rolls go that way. If you are unhappy with your character to the point of considering kamikaze attacks, at least get killed as smartly as possible by absorbing some hits that might land on better qualified adventurers.

Random Bonus Languages
The additional languages granted by a high Intelligence score indicate starting languages only. See the [not yet] attached random bonus language charts to determine additional starting languages. Anyone, regardless of Intelligence, may attempt to learn more languages in play.

Fast Equipment
[I plan on using some pre-made adventuring packs for people who don’t want to take the time to buy equipment.]

Shields Shall Be Splintered!
[‘Nuff said.]

Critical Hits & Fumbles
A natural 20 on the ‘to-hit’ roll indicates a potential critical strike. Another 20 on a confirmation roll calls for a percentile roll on the Labyrinth Lord’s Super Secret Critical Hit Chart of Doom. Similarly, a natural 1 indicates a potential fumble, with another roll of 1 confirming, sending the poor character to the Double Secret Probationary Fumble Chart of Wailing, Moaning and Gnashing of Teeth. (Hint: Arduin Grimoires may be involved.)

It’s All in the Wrist
Two handed weapons only automatically lose initiative when the optional Individual Initiative rules are being used. Which won’t be often.

One Last Breath
Any time a PC runs out of hit points that character is allowed a saving throw versus Death if they haven't already failed a saving throw to get 0hp. If the roll is made the character is at 1 hit point. At the Labyrinth Lord’s discretion they may also be stunned, unconscious, comatose, feverish, nauseous, mangled, bleeding, or otherwise in a world of hurt. If the saving roll fails, see the rules for replacement PCs below.

Hi! I’m the new party member!
Replacement PCs will be made just like starting PCs (3d6 in order, 0xp). A new PC can join the party immediately if the player desires. Alternatively, the replacement PC can be designated the heir of the dead PC, and as such is entitled to the old PC’s non-magical treasure (minus a 10% inheritance tax) and one magic item of the player’s choosing. However, the heir can only join the party when it returns to civilization or at the start of the next session, whichever comes first. Heirs must be of the same race as the deceased.

Every hero needs a sidekick
To avoid the hassles of starting over with 0xp and rolling up a new character in the middle of a game, the players are encouraged to recruit henchmen. Henchmen earn experience at half rate and normally expect a half share of treasure. They are generally loyal and normally the player runs them as secondary characters, though the Labyrinth Lord reserves the right to step in when needed to protect the interests of the NPC proletariat. If a character with a henchman is incapacitated, the player may immediately promote the henchman to full PC status. The new PC may be bumped back down to the ranks of the sidekicks should the original PC be raised from the dead or unpetrified or whatever.

Friends, we are gathered here today to mourn the passing of Bob’s cleric. What was his name again?
When an adventurer dies and the party is unable (or unwilling!) to have them raised from the dead, a promoted sidekick (see above) may opt to give the corpse a Heroic Sendoff. This requires at least 24 hours and something cool like a bigass funeral pyre, the raising of a burial mound, or a funeral ship floated down the river. The corpse must be armed and armored for combat, as appropriate to the class of the character. Each party member may donate up to 100gp times the level of the stiff as additional grave goods, the amount being spent is converted to bonus XP for the donor. Each party member may also donate one magic item to the grave. Scrolls, potions, and other one-shot items net a bonus of 250xp, while more permanent items get you 1,000xp. Magic items that would have been unusable by the deceased do not count.

You Shall Be Avenged!
Horus, the God of Vengeance, was slain some time after the fall of the long-gone Venuzian Empire. Yet somehow a trace of his power lives on. When a party member dies and the party causing the death is not immediately slain, a fellow party member may try to invoke the Vengeance Oath. Swearing “by the Dead God” that their friend’s death shall not go unpunished, the party member(s) roll d20. On a 1 they are filled with the Horus-Power. They are immediately under the effect of a quest spell (no save), but d6 statistics of their choice are temporarily boosted to 18 until they achieve their vengeance! Promoted sidekicks and heirs can take a Vengeance Oath, but non-heir replacement PCs cannot.

How do you afford your Rock-N-Roll lifestyle?
At the beginning of each session all PCs will be assessed living expenses for themselves and their henchmen, at 1% of their XP in gold pieces, minimum 1gp.

Ale & Wenches
Optionally when paying expenses as per above a PC may opt to ‘live it up’ by spending 1d6x100gp on general debauchery. The amount spent is converted into bonus experience points. However, rolling above your character’s level of experience indicates a roll on the Secret Carousing Mishap Chart. The 1d6 x100gp figure only applies in backwater burgs like the town near the starting dungeon. Should you travel to bigger towns or cities you can roll a larger die when raising hell.

Alternate Monster XP Rules
Each gold piece worth of treasure brought back to civilization still earns you 1 experience point. For defeating monsters will yield 100xp per hit die. That makes low level monsters worth a lot more but high level monsters score fewer points. Also no bonus XP are gained for special abilities, so a four hit die ogre is worth as many XP as a four hit die wraith that drains levels and is impervious to normal weapons. Pick your foes carefully!

The Big Purple D30 Rule
Once per session each player may opt to roll the Labyrinth Lord’s big purple d30 in lieu of whatever die or dice the situation normally calls for. The choice to roll the big purple D30 must be made before any roll. The d30 cannot be roll for generating character statistics or hit points.

Pick a Faith
Cleric’s must belong to one of three religions in the setting. Lawful clerics must choose between the Church of the Great Gold Dragon (a faux medieval Catholic sort of thingy) or the Twelve (a ‘pagan’ type pantheon with a dozen or so gods and goddesses). Chaotic clerics must choose between the Twelve or the Frog Gods (slimy, grinning amphibian demons). Neutral clerics can opt to be priests of the Gold Dragon, the Twelve, or the Frog Gods. There aren’t a bunch of mechanical differences between the three faiths, but it can make a difference when dealing with NPCs. Other PCs are encouraged to pick a religion, even if they aren’t particularly pious.

Dungeons is Dangerous
Ending a session inside a dungeon requires a roll on the Triple Secret Random Dungeon Fate Chart of Very Probable Doom. Make sure you get out before the session ends!

24 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:11 AM

    Could one use the Big Purple d30 for a Hit Points roll?

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  2. Good stuff. I recommend against this one, though:

    Any time a PC runs out of hit points that character is allowed a saving throw versus Death. If the roll is made the character is at 1 hit point. At the Labyrinth Lord’s discretion they may also be stunned, unconscious, comatose, feverish, nauseous, mangled, bleeding, or otherwise in a world of hurt. If the saving roll fails, see the rules for replacement PCs below.

    I found this rule to not be too unpredictable (I know you like randomness, but still...). Seems like these things are better handled ad hoc by situation. Lost all your hit points and then some through Dragon Breath? Dead. Lost five of four remaining hit points to a mace blow? Possibly just knocked senseless. Different situations, should be handled differently, and the chance of survival dicated by circumstance.

    Just my opinion.

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  3. Looks like a rogue "not" got into that first sentence...

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  4. Great stuff, Jeff! Nice to hear the game is coming along smartly...

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  5. Each party member may also donate one magic item to the grave. Scrolls, potions, and other one-shot items net a bonus of 250xp, while more permanent items get you 1,000xp.

    What, aside possibly from simple good taste, is to stop the players from coming back to this grave later and swiping the stuff back?

    (I've known some players who would not only consider but actively bank on such a course of action!)

    Otherwise, I love it all. Especially love the names of the random tables (I'm getting a big whiff of Kobold Horrible Death Chart, from Kobolds Ate My Baby! in there -- was that an influence?)

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  6. You have no idea how much I wish you lived north of Chicago. I cannot find anyone running OD&D or an OD&D-flavored game up here. I'm so going to flag this post to remember some of these rules if I ever get good enough to run OD&D games.

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  7. @will - I'm sure the God of Death (aka, the LL who is miffed at the robbery) will have something to say to those who steal from his domain...

    *evil grin*

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  8. Some really nice house rulings. The critical hit rule seems almost not worth it, if you're only going to gain a bonus or penalty 0.25% of the time.

    Beyond that though, I dig it. I had similar ideas for henchmen in my last RC-D&D game. I especially like the carousing rules - I might have to implement some of that into my current C&C campaign.

    Keep 'em coming!

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  9. Anonymous12:15 PM

    Good stuff! How about the XP value in the Big Send-off is instead donated to the dead PC's new character instead? That way they can massage the 0xp starting rule but not without cost to the party.

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  10. Jeff - this is superb!

    In particular I like

    Every hero needs a sidekick: I'm a big fan of henchmen as secondary characters!

    You Shall Be Avenged!: Very nice. Might get the other players upset in certain situations, but just a fun house rule.

    How do you afford your Rock-N-Roll lifestyle?: Good, simple and easy to understand interpretation of the OD&D rule.

    Ale & Wenches: This is great. Other might wish to role-play this stuff out, but I prefer your house rule.

    The Big Purple D30 Rule: Along with You Shall Be Avenged, this one is just old fashioned fun.

    Dungeons is Dangerous: What can I say, great house rules in this post. I'll be linking this page for future inspiration. Thanks!

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  11. I love these house rules, but anonymous had a good comment about the heroic sendoff rule. When I read it the first time I read it that way. Basically, "we can't bring you back from the dead, Joe, but here, we'll all bung in some cash and a couple items to boost your XP." (I'd add a clause in there to say that you can't give the new character more XP than the old one had, so that you don't just make a chain of hopeless characters to bulk up the one you really want to play.)

    As it's written, in a cutthroat group I could see it being insult added to injury. "Hey, Joe, you got killed. Too bad, though -- we're torching your battle dress and weapons along with your share of the gold and all your magic items to boost our experience point totals."

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  12. Amazing stuff. I love the idea of a character being filled with "Horus Power"--why does Bruce Leroy come to mind, though?

    I'll be stealing several of these for my future Uresia games. Are we going to see any of these super-secret charts?

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  13. I would very much like to see theTriple Secret Random Dungeon Fate Chart of Very Probable Doom chart. Please?

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  14. Anonymous2:59 PM

    Consider these rules swiped (and mutated) for my own Open Draft Sandbox Campaign of Doom. Fantastic!

    Now, I'm pretty sure I've seen the various secret charts you mention posted in the blog before - assuming you're using the same Fumble chart that can bring about the growth of the Weapon Fores, that is. But I can't find any sign of the Dugeon Fate Chart of Very Probable Doom - am I wrong? Has it never been posted before? Might we persuade you to share it

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  15. Great work, Jeff!! The Heroic Burial is fantastic stuff.

    We also have the d30 rule in our game, and its proved very entertaining (ours is blue, though).

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  16. Could one use the Big Purple d30 for a Hit Points roll?

    Good catch! I'll edit to address that.

    I found this rule to not be too unpredictable (I know you like randomness, but still...). Seems like these things are better handled ad hoc by situation. Lost all your hit points and then some through Dragon Breath? Dead.

    Hmmm. I had meant to include a note that this rule only applies when you don't otherwise get a saving throw. I must have been distracted by something shiny.

    Looks like a rogue "not" got into that first sentence...

    You mean "human classes do not require any stat minimum"? That's correct as written.

    What, aside possibly from simple good taste, is to stop the players from coming back to this grave later and swiping the stuff back?

    Loss of double the XPs gained from the donation was my original plan. Also, I didn't plan to tell anyone that until it was too late. But I also like Chgowiz's idea of sicking the God of Death on 'em.

    The critical hit rule seems almost not worth it, if you're only going to gain a bonus or penalty 0.25% of the time.

    When the chart has a chance of tripping over your innards because they're in a pile at your feet you don't need to roll on it too often.

    As it's written, in a cutthroat group I could see [the Heroic Sendoff rule] being insult added to injury. "Hey, Joe, you got killed. Too bad, though -- we're torching your battle dress and weapons along with your share of the gold and all your magic items to boost our experience point totals."

    The Heroic Sendoff rule is meant to be used in conjunction with a sidekick, so that the player of the dead PC can score some points as well. Do you think it would be a better rule if I specified that only a henchman can initiate a sendoff?

    Are we going to see any of these super-secret charts?

    As soon as I write them! ;)

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  17. Jeff --

    Please be careful when designing house rules such as these. Mick Jagger may decide to sue for schtick infringement.

    -- R!

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  18. Anonymous9:18 PM

    Great stuff Jeff!

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  19. You mean "human classes do not require any stat minimum"? That's correct as written.

    Heh. No, the sentence I wrote was meant to read: "I found this rule to be too unpredictable", rather than "I found this rule to not be too unpredictable."

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  20. *waving to Chgowiz*

    >I cannot find anyone running OD&D or an OD&D-flavored game up here.<

    Looking for players?

    ~Scott, west of Chicago

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  21. Anonymous12:01 PM

    You absolutely _have to_ flesh out the Secret Carousing Mishap Chart!
    After that is done, you can consider the Ale&Wenches rule as swiped for my cyberpunkish games, where was always looking forward to the whole deal of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll after payment while I never felt really comfortable with the pure approach of "be a good role-player and think about how your character would blow such a windfall, rather then stay in a vomit-stained coffin motel to save up some small change for yet another gun".

    (Btw, I've been following this blog for months, and it's only now that I bothered to comment. Keep up the steady blogging!)

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  22. Sweet potatoes! These are some great house rules, add me to the group of thieves taking these for my own amusement. Great stuff.

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  23. I can think of a lot of players in my upcoming games that are gonna love these rules!!!!

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  24. Anonymous3:41 PM

    If you rob from the dead, don't they come back to haunt you? Sounds just about right to me. Ghosts in D&D are pretty nasty and not worth a few hundred XP to tango with.

    Also, you'd definitely lose the XP you gained at least. Making it a moot point.

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