Dolmenwood: Grimalkin Tweaks

I've been running a couple of parallel campaigns set in Dolmenwood, since the autumn, and have finally got to see the grimalkin class presented in Wormskin issue one in play. The class is a lot of fun: what's not to like about a fairy cat which can fight, pick locks, and cast spells and has three different shapes to shift between?

However, I've noticed a few issues with the class, in play:

1. Grimalkin are small: around 3-4' high, about the same size as trad D&D halflings. Like halflings, they can only use small weapons, but they don't gain the associated benefits of being small, namely: an AC bonus when in combat with large creatures.
2. The main means of transition between the humanoid form (estray) and the moggy form (chester) is the consumption or avoidance of town rats. While this is a charming idea, I've found it troublesome in play, for several reasons. Firstly, in my experience, when PCs are in town, the presence or not of rats is rarely something that comes up explicitly. Of course, the referee could bear this in mind, if a grimalkin PC is present, but it's not a part of the usual course of a game session. Secondly, whatever the PC may think, the player wants to stay in estray. In chester, the grimalkin's class abilities are greatly reduced and the state would be avoided by most players. This leads to the non-cat-like behaviour of avoiding rats! This, for me, is the main issue with the mechanics as written. Thirdly, if the character is avoiding rats "like the plague", that means they should avoid going into town. This presents logistical difficulties: does the grimalkin PC stay in the forest when the others in the party go shopping in town? Do they not sleep in the inn with the others? It encourages a "split the party" mentality, which is hassle to deal with. In the end, I've found that I've just completely ignored the whole rats thing, which is a shame.
3. Though the PC grimalkin in my games has never got into chester (yet), I do notice that the abilities of that form are a little vaguely defined.
4. While transitioning back to estray from chester just requires either alteration magic or stopping eating town rats, the transition back from the third form -- wilder -- is far more difficult. It requires a potion made from obscure ingredients which -- as the grimalkin in this state is highly chaotic -- the character's companions would have to attain and administer. As wilder is something of an "emergency state" for a grimalkin, this difficulty in changing back to its more civilised form seems ok, in and of itself. The issue here is more theoretical: without companions to look out for it, how would a grimalkin ever transform from wilder back to estray?

So, I've been thinking of trying out the following tweaks:

1. This is simple. Just give grimalkin the same AC bonus as halflings get: +2 when attacked by a larger-than-human creature.
2. Fixing the issue with rats requires a larger change to the class. What I'm thinking of has several aspects. Firstly, to restore the cat-like glee at killing rodents, I'd specify that grimalkin compulsively attack rats (including giant rats), unless a save versus spells is successful (in situations where the character tries to suppress the instinct). Secondly, I'd undo the connection between eating rats and going into chester. Instead, we could say that (continuing the theme of certain types of magic triggering a grimalkin's transformations) every time a grimalkin in estray is targeted by transformative magic, there is a 50% chance of it entering chester. To come back, a further application of alteration magic can be used or (for sake of playability) the character reverts at dawn. I'd also stipulate that a grimalkin can willingly enter or choose to remain in chester. A willing transformation would take 1d6 rounds. (All of the PC's clothing and equipment melds into its body, when in chester.)
3. We can say that a grimalkin in chester is intelligent and can understand language, but can only respond in yowls and meows. The addition of a claw/claw/bite attack routine (d2 damage per hit) also seems reasonable.
4. I think simply saying that a grimalkin in wilder has an X-in-6 chance per some period of naturally (spontaneously) reverting to estray would fix this theoretical issue. For playability as a PC race, I'd make this pretty lenient: a 1-in-6 chance per day, say.

I'll be interested to try out these tweaks to see how they work in practice and if they address the issues I've had with the class.

Free PDF: Adventurer Cleric Class

My beef with the cleric has been long and well-roasted.

In the new year, I'm going to be starting a new Labyrinth Lord campaign (a welcome change after my experiments with D&D 5 this year) and thought it was maybe about time to come up with a divinely blessed class which is to my taste.

Lo and behold! The adventurer cleric.


The design goals of the class were:

• (Primarily) A divine class without any moral imperative and which can fit in with the usual assortment of mercenaries, rogues, cut-throats, and murder-hobos.
• Cutting down the power of clerical magic a bit -- no raise dead.
• Reducing the class' spellcasting advancement -- no spell at 1st level and a maximum of fifth level spells.

You can download the PDF here.


Wishing everyone a happy 2016!

B/X Rogue Class: Coming Soon!

A few weeks back, I wrote a post which sketched out an idea for a rogue class to replace (and subsume) the classic thief and its various subclasses. Here's the original post.

Well, I've been thinking about it a lot more, refining the ideas, adding more talents, adding rules for magic use (in the arcane dabbler vein of the Gray Mouser or the song magic vein of the traditional bard class), etc. It's developed into a fully written-up class in the form of a 20 page PDF! Having come this far, I plan to give the class a proper publication -- illustrations and all.

I'm not yet sure exactly when it'll be ready for publication, so this is just a heads up that it's on the horizon. (Also that I'm still out here, working on stuff, even though this blog has been nigh silent of late!)

More news when it comes...

OSR Rogue Class: Part 1

Periodically, in my musings on D&D, I feel the need to create a new thief / rogue class, often mixing in elements of other rogue types such as assassins, acrobats, and bards. Well, the stars have aligned just right, and the following has been bouncing around in my head.

Rogue Class

Instead of a fixed set of skills advancing at a predetermined rate (like the standard thief class), the character has an expanding set of largely non-advancing skills. A 1st level rogue knows four of the skills below (player's choice). One more skill is learned at each level increase. From 5th level, the character may choose from the list of advanced skills (those marked with an asterisk). Learning an advanced skill requires that the rogue first learn the associated normal skill (e.g. move silently requires move quietly).

Pick pockets: requires a successful DEX check. The victim may save versus spells to notice the attempt.

Sleight of hand: used to surreptitiously manipulate items, perform tricks of legerdemain, delicately extract or swap out objects from pressure plates, etc. A DEX check is required for success.

Mimic voice: general accents can be mimicked with ease. To convincingly mimic an individual, you must listen to them speaking for at least ten minutes. If there is any uncertainty, listeners may make a saving throw versus spells to detect the ruse.

Move quietly: when lightly encumbered, you can sneak quietly. (Other characters may attempt to sneak, but without guaranteed success.) In an environment with no ambient noise to mask your movement, an attentive listener may notice you -- save versus wands.

Move silently *: when lightly encumbered, you can sneak absolutely silently.

Back stab: when attacking a humanoid victim who is unaware of your presence, you get a +4 bonus to attack with a dagger. If the attack succeeds, the precision of your strike inflicts extra damage: 1d4 + your level.

Sniper: works the same as back stab (above), but for fired missile weapons (bows, crossbows).

Garrote: when attacking a humanoid victim who is unaware of your presence, you can attempt to strangle them with a garrote or similar weapon. Make an attack roll. If the attack succeeds, you have the garrote in place, causing 1d4 damage. Each subsequent round, the victim suffers 1d4 damage and must save versus paralysis or fall unconscious (if you garrote an unconscious victim for one more round, they die). While conscious, the victim may fight back with their fists, small weapons, or by wrestling. All such attacks are at -2, but success indicates they've broken free of your garrote (in addition to normal damage, etc.).

Black jack: when attacking a humanoid victim who is unaware of your presence and who is not wearing a helmet, you can attempt to knock them out with a cosh, black jack, or similar implement. Make an attack roll. If it succeeds, the victim suffers 1d4 damage and must save versus paralysis. Failure indicates that they're knocked unconscious.

Tight rope walking: expert balance allows you to easily walk or dash across narrow beams. With a DEX check, you can walk across right ropes or beams of less than 6 inches width.

Blind fighting: training in the unusual art of fighting while blindfolded reduces the penalty to attacks against foes whom you cannot see. Instead of the usual -4 penalty, you only suffer -2 when making melee attacks.

Climb rock faces: when lightly encumbered, you can climb rough rock faces with a successful DEX check. You can climb easier surfaces without a check.

Climb rough walls *: your climbing skills are so advanced that you can scale sheer surfaces with only minimal handholds such as the cracks between stone blocks. This requires a DEX check. You can climb easier surfaces without a check.

Find hidden mechanisms: your chance of detecting secret doors or mechanical traps when searching is increased by 1 in 6. (Note that you may be able to find such mechanisms without a roll by describing to the referee exactly how you search.)

Pick locks: with decent lock picks and a turn of work, you can attempt to open locks without the appropriate key. A DEX roll is required. You may retry, if you fail.

Disable small mechanical traps: with a set of thieves' tools and a turn off work, you can attempt to bypass or disable small mechanical traps such as those found on locks. A DEX roll is required. If you fail, save versus wands to avoid setting the trap off. You may retry.

Decipher foreign text: with an INT check, you can figure out the gist of a text written in foreign languages which are related to a language you know.

Decipher obscure text *: as above, but applies to ancient or obscure languages, at the referee's discretion.

Read magic: you can decipher arcane inscriptions, including those on magic-user scrolls or in spell books. There is a 1 in 6 chance of your understanding being inaccurate. This skill does not allow you to cast spells.

Activate magic scrolls *: you can cast spells from magic-user scrolls with a 90% chance of success.

Detect magic: with a turn of concentration, you have a 2 in 6 chance of detecting the presence of magic in a 10' area or on a specific object. You may retry.

Hear noise: your chance of hearing noises when listening at doors is increased by 1 in 6.

Coming In Part 2

More skills...

Mimic behaviour

Hide

Hide in shadows *

Forgery

Disguise

Escape bonds

Identify common poisons
Identify rare poisons *
Lore

(...and anything else that comes to my mind in the meantime)

New Class: The Specialist Wizard

Of the wizards who walk the world there are many kinds, with as many titles, ranks, offices, and stations as there are lands. For the sake of simplicity, many of these workers of the arcane are lumped together under the term "magic-user". These are the boldest and least bookish of their kind -- those whose fascination lies in the mysteries of the wider world and the direct application of magickal workings in the diverse situations which it presents. (There are, in fact, those who would argue that the very title commonly afforded to adventuring wizards -- "magic-users" -- is indicative of their somewhat workmanlike and utilitarian attitude to magic, favouring that which may expediate the accumulation of coin in their pouch as opposed to that which may deepen their understanding of the arcane.)

Wizards of more narrow focus also gather into schools and colleges: necromancers, illusionists, vivimancers, elementalists, conjurers, and so forth. These wizards specialize in just one of the many "schools" or domains of magic, thus developing a deeper and broader repertoire within that domain.

There also exist those spell-casters of devoted and obsessive bent who focus their study on uncovering the arcane secrets of a single particular and very specific aspect of reality. Such spell-casters are so isolated in their research that they seldom have any direct peers. As their domains of interest are so idiosyncratic, it is most convenient to refer to such wizards collectively as "specialist wizards". (Of course, in reality, their specializations bear no relation to each other.)

The following game rules may be used for such characters. (Note that the player of a specialist wizard character will almost certainly be required to engage in the creation of new spells. This is a fun, creative, but rather involved process, and this class is thus only recommended for players who enjoy this activity.)

The Specialist Wizard

Requirements: INT 9
Prime Requisite: INT
Maximum Level: None

Focusing on the secrets of one specific and very limited area of magic, specialist wizards are the obsessives, iconoclasts, and trail-blazers of the arcane world. Their devotion to a single field of study makes them very narrowly focused, thus greatly reducing the breadth of available spells. On the other hand, such dedication allows them to delve more deeply and more quickly into the mysteries of magic, unlocking potent secrets which can be used to create unique new spells, magic items, and more.

When creating a specialist wizard character, the player must select his area of specialization. Once selected, this may never be changed. Some example areas of specialization: birds, fire, geometry, blades, rope, rainbows, bone, dreams, mirth.

Combat: Like other magic-users, specialist wizards may only use small weapons such as daggers and may not wear armour of any kind. Their hit points, saving throws, and chance to hit in combat advance at the same rate as other magic-users.

Experience: Similarly, a specialist wizard advances using the standard experience and spell memorization tables common to other magic-users. A specialist wizard memorizes and casts spells as if he were one level higher than his actual experience level.

Demi-humans: Most specialist wizards are humans. Elves may advance to 11th level in the class, and half-elves to 13th level. The referee may allow characters of other races (even those races which are not normally allowed to be magic-users) to become specialist wizards, so long as a suitable area of specialization is chosen. For example, a dwarf might choose to specialize in the magic of the forge.

Initial spells: At 1st level, a specialist wizard has three spells in his spell book: read magic and two other spells relating to his area of specialization. The latter may be drawn from any available reference materials or may be created by the player in collaboration with the referee.

Spell acquisition: Specialist wizards may transcribe any spells which they discover over the course of their adventures into their spell book, as usual. However, with their extremely narrow focus, the likelihood of locating suitable spells by pure happenstance is low. Of course, a specialist wizard may purposefully embark on adventures to seek out magic of interest, but their own personal research also bears fruit from time to time. Every time a specialist wizard advances in level, he has the option to research a brand new spell of his own devising. This process takes one month (during which time the character may not go adventuring) but entails no further costs. Otherwise, the usual rules for spell research apply.

Marks of magic: The specialist wizard, in the course of his studies, immerses himself continuously in the magical energies related to his area of specialization. At every even-numbered level (2nd, 4th, 6th, etc) this contact has a permanent effect on the wizard. The broad type of effect is determined by rolling 1d4 (see below). The specifics should be worked out by the referee and should always be connected to the wizard's area of specialization. Marks of magic are typically neither detrimental nor beneficial to the wizard -- they merely distinguish him as being touched by strange forces.

1. Personality quirk. These quirks often bring the wizard towards the verge of what normal folk would regard as insanity.
2. Alteration of physical form. This could include changes to posture, gait, skin, hair, eyes, bone structure, and so on.
3. Magical aura. The wizard is continually surrounded by a very minor but noticeable manifestation of magic.
4. An item of clothing or a possession which is often on the wizard's person takes on an unusual quality or appearance.

Establish dominion: Upon reaching 5th level, a specialist wizard may construct a tower or base. The lands around the base become the wizard's dominion. (Exactly what area is considered as the wizard's dominion must be determined by the referee, bearing in mind the political and geographical features of the area.)

Spell research: From 5th level, using the laboratories and libraries of their towers, specialist wizards may research new spells using the normal rules; entailing the expenditure of time and money. All spells researched must, it is clear, be related to the wizard's area of specialization.

Apprentices: When a specialist wizard reaches 6th level, 1d4 1st level wizards will arrive in his dominion seeking an apprenticeship. These will be standard magic-users, but if the wizard accepts them as his apprentices, they will become specialist wizards with the same area of specialization as their master.

Magic item creation: From 8th level, specialist wizards may put the facilities of their towers to work in processes of magic item creation, using the standard rules. Specialist wizards can only create items related to their area of specialization.

Dominion enchantments: At 11th level or greater, a specialist wizard is able to research large-scale dweomers which enchant his tower and the surrounding lands with aspects of his specialist area of magic. The process for magic item research should be used.

The Infiltrator -- A New Class for Labyrinth Lord

It's a perennial favourite activity of mine (and many other DMs) to mess around with the thief class in D&D. (Well, ok, it's a perennial favourite activity to mess around with any and all classes in D&D, but today I'm talking about the thief.) People have a lot of various beefs (beeves?) with the class. My personal beef is that I like to stick with four core classes but that I want to mix in the extra abilities of the assassin, bard, thief-acrobat, and anything else that comes to mind, to produce a single unified "dodgy person who does sneaky stuff" type class.

Previous  thoughts along these lines: here, here & here.

I'm building up to run a Dark Sun inspired campaign with Labyrinth Lord, and have in mind that it'll involve lots of sneaky infiltration and subterfuge, so it seemed like high time to revisit the "dodgy person who does sneaky stuff" class.

Here's my latest take on it. (Note the inclusion of freely distributable percentage points -- a nod towards AD&D 2e. I'm planning on adding a few other 2e type features to the campaign, weapon proficiencies, for instance.)

The rest of this post is designated Open Gaming Content according to the Open Gaming License.

Infiltrator
Requirements: None
Prime Requisite: DEX
Hit Dice: 1d4

Those adventurers who live by stealth, deception and wits are known as infiltrators. Some infiltrators are self-made, having learned their trade in the back-alleys and marketplaces of the great cities, while others are members of guilds and have studied under master thieves, spies, scouts and assassins.

Infiltrators use the thief experience, saving throw and attack tables, and are able to use leather or studded leather armour, all one-handed weapons and light missile weapons (all except longbow and heavy crossbow).

They have a number of skills unique to this class, which advance as the character increases in level. A 1st level infiltrator begins with a 0% chance of success in all skills, but gains 100 percentage points to distribute as he wishes between them. At each subsequent level he gains a further 20 percentage points to improve his skills. No skill may be increased beyond 98%.

Acrobatics: This skill can be used to perform feats of acrobatics such as leaping, vaulting, flipping, balance, and so on. The Labyrinth Lord may specify a penalty to the roll for extraordinarily difficult feats. An infiltrator may also use this skill to reduce falling damage by half.

Assassination: When performing an attack by surprise (either during a surprise round of combat, or due to use of hide in shadows or move silently), the character has a chance of being able to instantly kill his victim. If the attack succeeds, a percentage roll is made against the character's skill with assassination. If the roll succeeds, the victim must save versus death or die immediately. If the save succeeds, the attack causes double normal damage (which may in turn be enough to kill the victim). Note that for an assassination to succeed, the infiltrator must be able to attack a weak point of the victim (the throat or heart, for instance) – certain situations or targets may make this impossible, at the Labyrinth Lord's discretion (for example, undead creatures generally lack any such weak points).

Climb walls: Infiltrators are skilled climbers, and never need to make rolls to climb under normal circumstance (ladders, ropes, trees, etc). This skill enables the character to climb vertical surfaces with only small handholds, such as brick walls or cliffs. The skill check may be penalised due to exact conditions (slipperiness, darkness, etc).

Decipher script: The infiltrator is skilled at cracking coded messages, or deciphering small fragments of text written in foreign languages, such as may be found on treasure maps. This skill may also be used at a -10% penalty to attempt to cast spells from magic-user scrolls. In this case failure indicates a misfire of the spell.

Disguise: All characters may at times attempt to disguise themselves, with success determined by the Labyrinth Lord. This skill gives the infiltrator a backup roll if the Labyrinth Lord determines that a disguise is ineffective. A successful roll means that the character goes unnoticed.

Find/disable mechanisms: Characters of any class can search for hidden mechanisms to activate traps or secret doors, having a 1 in 6 chance of success. An infiltrator also gains a percentage roll with this skill. With the appropriate tools, this skill can additionally be used to disable or bypass small mechanisms such as sprung-needle traps or locks. Using this skill takes one turn.

Hear noise: All characters can listen at doors to detect sounds beyond, having a 1 in 6 chance of success. An infiltrator with this skill gains the normal 1 in 6 roll in addition to a percentage roll with this skill. Using this skill takes one turn.

Hide in shadows: Infiltrators are masters of concealment, and do not need to roll to hide under normal circumstances (behind statues, screens, undergrowth, etc). They can use this skill to attempt to hide when no cover is available beyond deep shadows. The character always thinks he is successful.

Move silently: Infiltrators are experts at creeping quietly, and do not need to make any roll to sneak under circumstances where absolute silence is not required (for example in a noisy environment). A successful roll with this skill means that the infiltrator is able to move unnoticed in situations where the slightest sound would give his presence away. The character always thinks he is successful.

Pick pockets: This skill can be used to artfully extract small objects from the possession of others.

Poison lore: An infiltrator can use this skill to detect and identify poisons (on weapons, in food, etc), and to create them. Each type of poison (q.v.) is rated with a difficulty to detect or manufacture, which is applied as a penalty to the skill roll.

Sheep Class for Labyrinth Lord

(This is my 300th post on this blog! And what better way to celebrate the anniversary than with a new class for Labyrinth Lord!)

One the PC's in my Dreamlands campaign has been blessed (via a table of random starting equipment) with the companionship of a sheep. At first the sheep was just a walking ball of wool, but inevitably questions started to be asked about its hit points, armour class, combat capabilities, etc. The sheep (named Steve) has now been elevated to the status of a henchman, and I said that the player could give a share of the PC's XP to the sheep, allowing him to advance gradually. That requires a class, thus...

The rest of this post is designated Open Gaming Content according to the Open Gaming License.

Sheep
Hit Dice: d6
Maximum level: 5

Of the standard six ability scores, sheep roll 3d6 as normal for STR, DEX and CON. They roll 1d4 for WIS and INT, and have no CHA worth talking about. Comeliness (if used) may be rolled as normal -- there are some surprisingly stunning sheep out there!

Sheep use the same saving throw chart and combat matrix as fighters. Their experience advancement and level titles are as follows.

Level  XP         Title
1         0           Flockling
2         1,000    Ram
3         2,000    Stud
4         4,000    Battle Ram
5         8,000    Flock Lord

Sheep have a natural butt attack which does 1d4 damage. This damage increases to 1d6 at 2nd level, and 1d8 at 4th level. (Note that it is assumed that an adventuring sheep is male, possessing the aggressive nature and full horns of a ram.)

At 3rd level, a sheep gains the ability to charge (as per Labyrinth Lord p. 61).

At 5th level, a sheep gains the ability to rampage. When rampaging, a sheep gains +2 to hit and damage, and a -2 penalty to armour class. Once a sheep has begun rampaging, it cannot stop for 2d6 rounds, and will attack anything which moves.

It should be noted that, as adventuring companions, sheep are contrary and stubborn. They are notoriously difficult to train, and equally infamous for their wilfulness.

Variant Class: Space Elf

A simple variant on the standard elf class, invented my myself and Yves for his (sadly now deceased) character in the Dreamlands campaign, Mr. Sporck. In memoriam:

1. Space elves have no ability with magic, being unable to cast spells or use wizardly magic items. They are however masters of an ancient form of mind-over-matter. They use the psionics rules from Carcosa.
2. Space elves have no immunity to ghoul paralysis.
3. Space elves practice a nerve-grip combat technique. If a nerve-grip attack succeeds by 5 more than the required number to hit, the target is stunned for 1d6 rounds.

Snake-man Class for Basic Labyrinth Lord

As promised yesterday, my snake-man class for basic Labyrinth Lord.

The rest of this post is designated Open Gaming Content according to the Open Gaming License.

Snake-Men
Requirements: STR 9, DEX 9
Prime Requisites: STR & INT or STR & WIS
Hit Dice: 1d6
Maximum Level: 8

Snake-men are an ancient and reviled race of semi-humanoid serpents. They have the long body and tail of a giant snake (up to 10' in length), a snake's head, and human-like arms and torso.

Snake-men are notorious among others races for their depraved religious cults, which often enslave and sacrifice intelligent beings. All snake-men adventurers are trained in both fighting and magic, though they may choose whether to use clerical or magic-user spells. Clerical snake-men have STR and WIS as prime requisites, whereas magic-user snake-men have STR and INT. Note that clerical snake-men do not have the ability to turn undead.

Snake-men may use any weapons and armour, and use the elf combat, saving throw, experience and spell progression tables.

A snake-man must have a 13 or greater in both prime requisites to gain a +5% experience bonus, and a 16 or greater in both attributes is required for the +10% bonus.

In melee, a snake-man can choose to attack with his bite instead of a weapon. The bite inflicts 1d6 hit points' damage. Furthermore, a snake-man can make a poisoned bite attack once per day. The intention must be declared before the to-hit roll is made, and the poison is wasted if the attack misses. The poisoned bite inflicts additional damage equal to the snake-man's current hit points, with a successful save indicating half damage.

Snake-men may also choose to attack with their tail in melee, attempting to coil around an opponent. Constricted opponents suffer 1d3 damage per round and -2 to-hit. A snake-man's tail also allows him to coil around pillars and such.

Due to their unusual form, snake-men cannot wear normal humanoid armour, and must pay double when purchasing armour. Magical armour designed for snake-man physiology is extremely rare.

Snake-man Backgrounds

1. Slaver
2. Temple guardian
3. Magus
4. Astrologer
5. Tomb raider
6. Death priest
7. Embalmer
8. Historian

Reptiloid Class for Basic Labyrinth Lord

I previously posted a reptiloid race for Advanced Labyrinth Lord, but I've since then decided to run basic LL instead for my next campaign (which will starting next week, hopefully!). So here's a basic style race-class conversion of the reptiloids.

The eagle-eyed may note the absence of the snakeman variant... Snakemen have become a class in their own right, which I shall post soon.

The rest of this post is designated Open Gaming Content according to the Open Gaming License.

Reptiloids
Requirements: STR 9, DEX 9
Prime Requisites: STR, DEX
Hit Dice: 1d8
Maximum Level: 9

Reptiloids are a race of scaly lizard-like humanoids. They are typically of average human height and build, with scaly skin of varying hue (often greenish).

Reptiloids are strictly carnivorous, and have a natural bite attack which causes 1d8 damage. They have a very powerful sense of smell, which means that they are only surprised on a roll of 1.

Due to their scales, reptiloids have a natural armour class of 7. They are able to use any weapons and armour, and use the same saving throw and experience tables as dwarves. A reptiloid with a 13 in one of the two prime requisites gains a +5% XP bonus. A reptiloid with STR and DEX both above 12 gains a +10% bonus.

Reptiloid Variations
Two variant reptiloids are described below. They have weaker bite attacks, inflicting only 1d6 damage, no natural armour, and do not have the normal reptiloid's refined olfactory senses, instead having other abilities.

Gullygug: Gullygugs are a race of amphibious frog-men. When lightly encumbered they can swim at their full movement rate. They can make a hop attack, jumping up to 15' forwards and gaining +1 to-hit and +2 damage if using an impaling weapon. Gullygugs can breathe underwater for 10 minutes. In dry environments gullygugs suffer -2 to-hit unless they have a source of water available to wet their skin.

Troglodyte: A slimy subterranean race. When unclothed, their chameleon skin enables them to surprise on a 1-4. They can also choose to exude a stench which causes sickness (-2 to attack rolls) in other humanoid races within 30', unless a save versus poison is made. Note that a troglodyte's stench affects all humanoids (except other troglodytes) within range, including allies.

Reptiloid Backgrounds

1. Slaver
2. Hunter
3. Spawn guardian
4. Escaped slave
5. Man-slayer
6. Beast rider
7. Cannibal
8. Headhunter

Phase Elves for Basic Labyrinth Lord

A variant of the elf class with a nod to OD&D.

The rest of this post is designated Open Gaming Content according to the Open Gaming License.


Phase Elves
Of the many species of elves, phase elves are perhaps the oddest. They originate from an inter-dimensional space which is inaccessible to other races, and about which they never speak.

Physically they appear similar to other elves -- tall and slender, with elegant features. It is, however, always possible to identify a phase elf by his or her eyes, which are either pure black or pure white, without an iris or pupil. Their hair also tends to be of unusual hues such as violet or cyan (though this is not unknown in other species of elf).

What makes phase elves truly unusual is their double personality. Each individual has two independent but interconnected personae. The two personae usually share the same name, and have complete knowledge of the other's actions, but their personalities and goals are often at odds. The two personae are sometimes even of different alignment. On any given day, only one of the two personalities is manifest in the physical world, the other having shifted into the phase dimension.

A phase elf PC thus has two classes -- magic-user and fighter -- one for each personality. At the start of each game day the player can choose which personality manifests. The phasing of personalities typically occurs at the moment of waking in the morning. When a phase elf switches personalities, the only noticeable change is that the colour of his or her eyes invert (white becomes black, and vice versa). However at the moment of phasing the character's personality and class abilities switch.

When a phase elf's fighter persona is manifest, the character functions exactly as a fighter, losing all spell-casting ability. Likewise, when the character's magic-user persona is manifest, he or she gains the ability to memorize and cast spells, but must abide by the armour and weapon restrictions of the magic-user class.

Both personae share the same hit points (d6 Hit Dice), and use the same saving throws (the standard elf matrix). Attack rolls are made using either the fighter or magic-user matrix, dependant on the manifest persona.

Phase elves use the magic-user experience table, and can advance to a maximum of 8th level.

Gnome Class for Basic Labyrinth Lord

For my new Labyrinth Lord campaign I've decided, for simplicity and nostalgia, to use the basic rules -- so race-classes are back in fashion!

To that end I thought I'd whip up a gnome class, as I've always been fond of the oft-reviled wee folk. I've tried to give them a bit of flavour to differentiate them from dwarves, with whom they are often conflated.

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Gnomes

Requirements: STR 9, DEX 9
Prime Requisites: STR, DEX
Hit Dice: 1d6
Maximum Level: 8

Gnomes are a wee race of cunning burrowers. They are sometimes mistakenly regarded as relatives of dwarves or halflings – an assertion at which they take offence. In stature, gnomes reach about 3½ feet, and 60 pounds. They tend to dress in shades of brown and green, favouring soft leather and felt. The pride and joy of every gnome is his or her hat. They sport felt hats of a variety of shapes, colours and sizes – a tall red cone being the traditional choice.

Gnomes typically dwell in deep forests and secluded valleys, and have little contact with other races. They speak their own language and the common tongue. They are also privileged to know the secret language of burrowing mammals such as badgers, moles, rats, and rabbits. Such creatures, including giant varieties, are often found in the company of gnomes.

Due to their habit of living in burrows and warren complexes, gnomes can detect unsafe construction when below ground. A gnome must spend one turn searching to use this ability, and has a 2 in 6 chance of success. Gnomes can also always tell how deep underground they are, accurate to within 20', and never lose their orientation underground.

Like halflings, due to their small stature, gnomes gain a +2 bonus to armour class when fighting larger than man-size creatures. Gnomes may use any armour and any weapons except large or two-handed melee weapons, longbows and heavy crossbows.

They use the same combat, saving throw and experience tables as halflings. A gnome with at least a 13 in one prime requisite gains a +5% experience bonus. A gnome with 13 or greater in both STR and DEX gets a +10% bonus.

Gnome Backgrounds

1. Troll hunter
2. Brewer
3. Badger master
4. Tinker
5. Burglar
6. Outcast
7. Hatter (optionally mad)
8. Woodsman

See also: variant gnomes.

B/X Character Backgrounds

For my upcoming dreamlands campaign, I've been vacillating over whether to run the game using the Labyrinth Lord AEC (that is, with the full range of AD&D races, classes and combinations thereof) or whether to keep it simple and just use basic Labyrinth Lord. I'm veering now towards the latter.

What I love about the basic 4 classes (plus demi-humans) is that each class encompasses so many sub-archetypes, without getting into the arms-race of making each of them a class of its own. So, to convey this idea to potential players (many of whom are more used to AD&D or D&D3, with their respective plethora of mechanical character options) I've been working on some tables of character background ideas. The intention is that players can either roll randomly, choose one from the list, or make up something similar. None of the backgrounds in these tables grant any specific mechanical abilities or bonuses, but are intended to be used in the same way a secondary skills in AD&D are -- as an aid to situational rulings on who can do what.

Here's what I've come up with.

Fighter

1. Monster hunter
2. Wildsman / scout
3. Barbarian
4. Mercenary
5. Sailor / pirate
6. Guard / soldier
7. Gladiator
8. Bandit

Cleric

1. Cultist
2. Monk
3. Monster hunter / inquisitor
4. Zealot / evangelist
5. Mendicant
6. Templar / paladin
7. Prophet
8. Chosen one

Thief

1. Tomb robber
2. Assassin
3. Con artist
4. Acrobat / performer
5. Bandit / highwayman
6. Gambler / hedonist
7. Burglar
8. Spy

Magic-user

1. Astrologer
2. Alchemist
3. Mystic
4. Herbalist
5. Sage
6. Witch / hedge wizard
7. Warlock
8. Cultist

Dwarf

1. Monster hunter
2. Smith / mechanist
3. Miner
4. Guard / soldier
5. Stone mason / gem cutter
6. Drunkard
7. Berserker
8. Outcast

Halfling

1. Gourmand
2. Scavenger
3. Wanderer
4. Tinker
5. Burglar
6. Bard
7. Merchant
8. Sheriff

Elf

1. Noble
2. Duelist
3. Hedonist
4. Aesthete
5. Bard
6. Fey warlock
7. Fated
8. Trickster

(Thanks to Alex for his inspirational tables!)

D&D Mine: The Adventurer

Following the Magus, Fighter and Slayer (Zealot / Defender / Champion ... still undecided), last up in the roster of classes for my future D&D campaign is the Adventurer.

As the Adventurer class is so tied to the simple skills system of the game, I've also pasted in the section which explains how skills work. This is, of course, heavily inspired by James Raggi's Weird Fantasy RPG. As in that game, a character of any class with at least a 1 in 6 chance of success with a skill can attempt to use is. Adventurers are, however, the only characters who can actually improve their skills. Note the addition of some bardy, rangery and assassiny skills.

Also note, again, that the class gains a unique (i.e. unavailable to other classes) bonus based on its prime requisite, Dexterity in this case.

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ps. Sorry the formatting below is a bit odd. I just pasted it in from the rules document, and it's not survived the transition that well.

The Adventurer

You are a wanderer and a rogue, following wherever the road leads and the next adventure is found. Whether a dashing duellist or highwayman, a professional thief, or a wilderness ranger, you live by your sword, your wits and your manifold talents. While Fighters may exceed your ability in combat, and other characters wield power over supernatural forces, your forte is in the mastery of the skills essential to a life of adventure.

Table 3: Adventurer Advancement

Level	XP	d6 HD	BHB	ST
1	0	1	+0	14
2	1,250	2	+0	13
3	2,500	3	+1	12
4	5,000	4	+1	11
5	10,000	5	+2	10
6	20,000	6	+2	9
7	40,000	7	+3	8
8	80,000	8	+3	7
9	160,000	9	+4	6
10	320,000	10	+4	5

Adventurer Class Abilities

XP Modified by Dexterity: The Dexterity Modifier applies to XP gained by this class.

Saving Throw: Adventurers get +1 on saving throws vs. traps.

Weapon/Armour Restrictions: Adventurers are able to use any type of armour and weapons. However, they favour light weapons which allow a quick and agile fighting style. Adventurers suffer a -1 penalty to hit when using two-handed melee weapons, heavy crossbows, longbows and muskets.

Agile Fighting: Adventurers tend to favour light weapons and armour, preferring to rely on swiftness of foot and blade to avoid harm in combat. When wearing leather armour or brigandine, they gain an AC bonus based on their Dexterity score.

Dexterity	AC Bonus
13 - 15	+1
16 - 17	+2
18	+3

Adventuring Skills: As specialists in subterfuge, audacity and derringo-do, Adventurers are able to excel at a wide range of abilities which can aid them in their trade. An Adventurer gains four points at 1st level to add to skills of his choice, improving his chance of success. Each point spent adds a 1 in 6 chance to the skill succeeding. Adventurers receive two additional points with every level gained thereafter.

Adventuring Skills

The following skills are areas of expertise which are commonly useful in adventures.

All skills are handled with a simple d6 roll, with lower values indicating success. Some skills can be attempted by any character, and have a base 1 in 6 chance of success. Other skills require training and have a base 0 in 6 chance of success. Many skills are also modified by an ability score. In this case, a -1 penalty (a score of 8 or lower) reduces the chance of success by 1 in 6, and a +1 bonus (a score of 13 or higher) increases its chance by 1 in 6. In order to use a skill, the character must have at least a 1 in 6 chance of success.

Adventurer characters gain points at each level to improve their skills. No skill can be advanced to greater than 5 in 6.

A character's chance of success with all skills should be noted on the character sheet.

Skill	Base Chance	Modifying Attribute
Climbing	1 in 6	Strength
Danger Sense	1 in 6	Wisdom
Disguise	1 in 6	Charisma
Folklore	1 in 6	Intelligence
Hunting	1 in 6	Wisdom
Languages	0 in 6	Intelligence
Mechanisms	0 in 6	None
Poisons	0 in 6	None
Searching	1 in 6	None
Sleight of Hand	1 in 6	Dexterity
Stealth	1 in 6	Dexterity
Surprise Attack	0 in 6	None

Descriptions of how these skills can be used are given in the chapter on game rules.

D&D Mine: The Slayer

Following the Magus and Fighter, next up in the class roster (and, yes, I am just sticking to the "classic four") is my take on the Cleric.

Regular readers and/or players in my games may be surprised to hear that I would even want to include a Cleric style class, as I am usually a notorious fun-spoiler where the class is concerned. However, I've always said that if I were to run a campaign in a setting which would suit some kind of holy warrior class, then I'd allow them.

As I noted originally, these rules for D&D Mine are specifically tailored to a campaign setting which I'm working on. The setting is very much historically inspired, and, while it has fantasy elements like wizards, demons and undead, a Catholic style Church is an important element. Thus: what better excuse for an inquisitor / witch-hunter type Cleric class!

I've had some trouble coming up with a good name for the class, and am as yet unsure about the name "Slayer". "Cleric" and "Paladin" are right out, as they bring too many expectations from traditional D&D, and imply an ordained clergyman or a knight in shining armour, neither of which describe this class very well. Other names I've considered include "Hunter" (thought that sounds like a woodsman), "Seeker" (but of what?), "Warden" (again, a bit too game-keepery), "Arbiter"... If anyone has any suggestions, please go ahead!

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The Slayer

You are a warrior zealot, serving the Church in order to battle the evil forces of the world. Slayers often specialise in the rooting out and eradication of one particular kind of foe, taking on roles such as vampire slayers, witch-hunters, demon exorcists, inquisitors, etc. Slayers are typically not ordained priests, but can often receive aid and advice from the clergy.

As warriors imbued with a holy purpose, Slayers are very capable combatants, being able to stand shoulder to shoulder with Fighters. Their faith also grants them access to a variety of miraculous abilities to help fight against evil.

Table 3: Slayer Advancement

Level	XP	d6 HD	BHB	ST
1	0	1	+0	14
2	1,500	2	+0	13
3	3,000	3	+1	12
4	6,000	4	+1	11
5	12,000	5	+2	10
6	24,000	6	+2	9
7	48,000	7	+3	8
8	96,000	8	+3	7
9	192,000	9	+4	6
10	384,000	10	+4	5

Slayer Class Abilities

XP Modified by Wisdom: The Wisdom Modifier applies to XP gained by this class.

Saving Throw: Slayers get +1 on saving throws vs. death and poison.

Weapon/Armour Restrictions: Slayers have no armour or weapon restrictions.

Divine Blessings: Slayers gain a number of divine blessings based on their Wisdom attribute.

Wisdom	Divine Blessings
13 - 15	1
16 - 17	2
18	3

Blessings are chosen at 1st level and can never be changed. They are usable at will, without any limitation of a specific number of uses per day.

Immunity to Disease: The Slayer is guarded by the divine, and is immune to all normal diseases. He or she also gains a +4 bonus to saving throws vs. magical diseases.

Protection from Evil: The character gains a +2 bonus to saves against the powers of evil supernatural creatures, and has an effective armour class one point better than normal against their attacks.

Reveal Charm: Possession or magicks of charm or mind control can be detected within 30'. One round's concentration is required.

Sense Evil: The presence and magnitude of evil supernatural creatures can be detected within 30'. This takes one round of concentration.

Smite Evil: The Slayer gains a +1 bonus on to-hit and damage rolls against a chosen type of foe.

Succour: When resting, characters in the Slayer's presence regain one additional hit point, up to the maximum allowed per Hit Die (see Hit Points in the game rules chapter).

Banishing Evil: Slayers can “turn” evil supernatural creatures such as demons and the undead, making them flee from the Slayer's holiness. See the chapter on Game Rules.

Holy Benedictions: As a devoted servant of the Church, a Slayer of 2nd level or higher is able to receive benedictions by praying at shrines dedicated to the saints. Each shrine is dedicated to a certain saint, and each saint is able to grant a different benediction upon the faithful. See the chapter on Game Rules for further details.

Many shrines and the benedictions of their patron saints are detailed in the Saints and Shrines booklet.

D&D Mine: The Fighter

Following on from Wednesday's post about the Magus, here's may take on the Fighter class.

One point which might be noted here is how I'm giving each class some kind of benefit based on the prime requisite. These class-specific extras use the B/X style modifiers (+1 for 13-15, +2 for 16-17, +3 for 18), whereas the standard ability modifiers are of the Swords & Wizardry style (+1 for 13-18). So, for example, any character with Strength above 12 gets a +1 to-hit bonus, but only Fighters also get a bonus to damage from a high Strength attribute.

Also note that the Fighter starts with a +1 base hit bonus.

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The Fighter

You are a warrior, trained in battle and in the use of armour and weapons. Perhaps you are a ferocious raider, a roaming mercenary, or a noble knight. Whatever type of Fighter you choose to play, you will probably end up on the front lines of your adventuring party, going toe-to-toe with the enemy, hacking your way through them and taking the brunt of their attacks.

The Fighter character class is best equipped of all the character classes to dish out and absorb damage.

You’re going to serve as the party’s sword and shield, protecting the weaker party members and taking down the enemies before you. Perhaps one day they will tell legends of your battle prowess, and followers will flock to your castle stronghold – where you revel in your fame, riches, and newly earned nobility. Fail, of course, and you will die – just another forgotten warrior in a dangerous world.

Table 5: Fighter Advancement

Level	XP	d8 HD	BHB	ST
1	0	1	+1	16
2	2,000	2	+2	15
3	4,000	3	+3	14
4	8,000	4	+4	13
5	16,000	5	+5	12
6	32,000	6	+6	11
7	64,000	7	+7	10
8	128,000	8	+8	9
9	256,000	9	+9	8
10	512,000	10	+10	7

Fighter Class Abilities

XP Modified by Strength: The Strength Modifier applies to XP gained by this class.

Saving Throw: Fighters get +1 on saving throws vs. death and poisons.

Weapon/Armour Restrictions: Fighters are trained in warfare and as such have no armour or weapon restrictions.

Combat Might: Fighters are trained to use their strength to inflict extra damage in melee combat.

Strength	Melee Damage Bonus
13 - 15	+1
16 - 17	+2
18	+3

Combat Specialisations: Fighters gain special bonuses in combat, due to their intensive training. Some possible areas of specialisation are listed below. At 1st level a Fighter can choose one of these specialisations. A further specialisation is gained at 3rd, 6th and 9th levels.

Heavy Armour Specialist: The Fighter is so accustomed to wearing armour that he is less encumbered by it. He can reduce the encumbrance category of his armour by one (thus, heavy armour counts as medium, and medium armour counts as light). See Movement in the game rules chapter.

Parry: The character fights with a defensive stance – his armour class in melee improves by 1, and he gains an additional +2 bonus when purely defensive in combat (see Parrying in the game rules chapter). These advantages are only gained when the Fighter is armed with a melee weapon.

Resilience: The character has been through so much hardship that his body has toughened up. He gains an additional wound point.

Shield Expert: When using a large shield (see equipment) the Fighter's armour class improves by an additional point.

Specialist Weapon: +1 to hit and damage with chosen type of weapon.

Surprise Attack: When making a melee attack by surprise, the character inflicts an additional die of damage.

Two Weapon Fighting: Training in this fighting technique allows the Fighter to choose to gain an armour class bonus of 1 instead of the usual +1 to-hit bonus for wielding two weapons (see Two-Weapon Fighting in the game rules chapter). This option may be chosen on a round by round basis.

D&D Mine: The Magus

Here's a small sample from the work-in-progress with my early Modern inspired D&D Mine. The Magus class is fairly close kin to the standard magic-user, but has altered, non-Vancian, mechanics for spell casting, and a simple system of spell acquisition. 

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The Magus

The Magus is a mysterious figure, a student of arcane powers and spell casting. Usually cloaked in robes woven with mystical symbols, Magi can be devastating opponents. However, they are usually physically weaker than other adventuring classes, and are untrained in the use of armour and weapons.

As Magi progress in level, they generally become the most powerful of the character classes, but at lower levels they are quite vulnerable and must be protected by the other party members. Perhaps one day, though, you will rise to such heights of power that you can build a mystically protected tower for your researches, create fabulous magic items, and scribe new formulae for hitherto unknown spells. Such arch-mages can sway the politics of kingdoms, and command respect and fear across the realms.

Table 6: Magus Advancement

Level	XP	d4 HD	BHB	ST
1	0	1	+0	15
2	2,500	2	+0	14
3	5,000	3	+0	13
4	10,000	4	+0	12
5	20,000	5	+0	11
6	40,000	6	+0	10
7	80,000	7	+0	9
8	160,000	8	+0	8
9	320,000	9	+0	7
10	640,000	10	+0	6

Table 7: Magus Known Spells

	Spell Level
Level	1	2	3	4	5
1	2	–	–	–	–
2	4	–	–	–	–
3	6	2	–	–	–
4	8	4	–	–	–
5	8	4	2	–	–
6	8	4	4	–	–
7	8	6	4	2	–
8	8	6	6	4	–
9	8	6	6	4	2
10	8	8	6	4	4

Magus Class Abilities

XP Modified by Intelligence: The Intelligence Modifier applies to XP gained by this class.

Saving Throw: Magi get +2 on saving throws vs. magic.

Weapon/Armor Restrictions: Magi tend to spend their waking hours in study of arcane tomes and scrolls, and as such tend to not have much training in combat. They may use any weapons, but suffer a -2 penalty to hit with all weapons except daggers or staves. Likewise, while Magi may wear whatever armour they choose, their lack of training means that they gain no benefit from it – the protective benefits being negated by the unaccustomed bulk.

Spell Casting: A Magus has mastered the formulae for a number of spells depending on his level. These spells may be cast freely, but each time a spell is cast it fatigues the Magus, draining his hit points (see Game Rules).

Starting Spells: A starting Magus has learned his initial spells either from an Arch-mage or from studying a spell book or arcane library. The player should choose one of the spell books, libraries and Arch-mages which are described in the magic booklet. The Magus' initial spells are then determined randomly by rolling on the list of spells available from the chosen source.

Learning New Spells: Upon gaining a level a Magus is able to learn new spells, according to the known spells table, from any available sources. If a Magus has no available sources he will have to wait to learn new spells.

Specialist Knowledge: Magi spend much of their lives absorbed in the study of obscure and esoteric areas of knowledge. From his education, a Magus character can choose a number of specialist areas of knowledge, based on his or her Intelligence attribute. These are fields of study which the character has researched during his or her education, and represent learning far beyond what is common knowledge. Instead of an area of specialist knowledge, an additional 1st level spell can be chosen, if the player wishes.

Intelligence	Areas of Specialist Knowledge
13 - 15	1
16 - 17	2
18	3

Some example areas of specialist knowledge are given below, but players and Referees should feel free to invent others. The use of these areas of expertise is left open to interpretation and improvisation.

Alchemy: The study of the physical substances of the world, and how their admixture and transformation can give insight into the world of spirit.

Ancient History: Detailed knowledge of the history and legends of one or more ancient cultures.

Ancient Languages: A Magus with this specialism would not be penalised when making Language skill rolls to understand ancient or dead languages.

Arcane Languages: Various esoteric languages, which fall outside of the scope of the Languages skill, are possible areas of study for a Magus. Examples would include Faerie or angelic tongues, or the languages of birds or burrowing animals.

Astrology / Astronomy: An intimate knowledge of the stars, planets and constellations. The Magus may be able to perform minor divinations by studying the night sky.

Demonology: Study of the various types and ranks of demons, and their powers and vulnerabilities.

Herbalism: Knowledge of wild and cultivated plants, and their effects on the human body.

Medicine and Anatomy: The study of the human body, its organs and their functions.

Undead: Study of the various types of undead creatures, and their powers and vulnerabilities.