Showing posts with label House Rules. Show all posts
Showing posts with label House Rules. Show all posts

Wednesday 30 July 2014

More uses for those pesky Loom Bands?

If you've got a child aged between 10 and 15 you will have probably been unable to avoid the current craze of "Loom Bands".  These tiny multicoloured rubber bands are intended to be woven together, in a form of phsychedelic macrame, to make friendship bracelets and other strap like objects.

But they have a far more useful use...  as wound markers for your tabletop miniature games!!

Loom Bands make great wound markers
They're stupidly cheap (1000 for about £3), you can find them just about everywhere at the moment and come in an astonishing array of colours. 

I'm going to throw down the gauntlet and challenge you crafty readers to weave up a set of spell effect templates.  Post links to your achievements in the comments below.

Monday 6 May 2013

Power Corrupts: Side Effects for Magic Users gaining levels

"This is Corruption"
Doug Kovacs 2011
On the internets today, my eye was poked by an awesome image by fantasy artist Doug Kovacs.  It masterfully illustrates a wizard passing through the various stages of his career and gradually changing as he becomes corrupted by his growing power.  This also rekindled my love of the old  AD&D 3 Stage Miniatures (of which I've written before).
 
Hack and Slash, Trollsmyth and Grognardia all write about spell casters gaining temporary side effects as a consequence of casting or memorizing the spell.  However, I feel that this would become onerous to track in game and doesn't really reflect the concept illustrated in the image, namely the chronic effects of exposure to thaumaturgic energies and their corrupting effect on the flesh and mind.

This is not a new idea,  in fact it's a defining feature in most fantasy literature, be it Saruman's corruption by Sauron or Raistlin Majere's racking cough and golden skin.  So why should there be a free lunch in RPGs? 

I can't think of a good reason not to to do this, so here's a little table of random levelling effects.


D20DESCRIPTIONEFFECT
01NOT YOUR DAYRe-roll twice (ignore all results of 1 or 20) apply both effects, you retain the right of choice.
02HAIR LOSSThe hair on your head falls out. You're permanently bald, deal with it.
03MAGICAL BURNSYou have been burned by the thaumaturgical energies. Permanently lose 1 CHA, 1 DEX or 1 CON (your choice) which cannot be healed by any means.
04ASTRAL SMOKE INHALATIONYour lungs have become scarred by smoke inhalation. Lose 1 CON permanently and develop a wracking cough which cannot be healed by any means.
05DEFORMED SKINYour skin has become: scaley, changed colour, become translucent, become hairy, become leathery, developed warts or lesions, veined, liver spotted (you choose). This change is permanent and cannot be healed by any means.
06DEFORMED EYESOne of your eyes has: changed colour, changed shape, become sensitive to light, or a particular spectrum of light, become bloodshot, enlarged. This change is permanent and cannot be reversed by any means.
07DEFORMED HANDYou have, lost a finger or thumb, arthritis, paralysis, had your hand replaced by that of a beast, lost your whole hand (You choose).
08SOUL TAINTYour soul has become tainted and you have become less empathetic as a result. You permanently lose 1 WIS and 1 CHA which cannot be healed by any means.
09VOID MINDPart of your mind has been lost to the void. You permanently lose 1 INT which cannot be healed by any means.
10DEFORMED FACEYou have: lost an eye, lost your nose, unexplained nose growth, lost your sense of smell or taste, developed facial scars, lost an ear, mishapen skull, lost teeth, developed fangs, facial droop, developed a wild expression (your choice). Lose 1 CHA permanently.
11WITHERED LIMBYour arm or leg has become withered (you choose). Permanently lLose 1 STR, 1 DEX and 1 Move which cannot be healed by any means.
12HEARING LOSSA magical explosion has permanently damaged your hearing and cannot be healed by any means. Lose all bonuses to hearing checks.
13STOLEN YEARSYou have been permanently ravaged by Time. Add 10 years to your current age. This change is permanent and cannot be reversed by any means. You can never be rejuvenated below the age of 10. This effect can be taken multiple times and the effects of old age should also be applied as specified in the game rules.
14STOLEN LIFE FORCEPart of your life energy has been eroded. Lose 1 STR permanently. Cannot be healed even by magical or divine means.
15SOUL CONTRACTTo save your own life you had to sign a soul contract. Your soul will be collected in 20 years unless you can find a way to break the contract. If you already have a soul contract it just got 5 years shorter.
16SANITY LOSSYour mind has become ravaged by the unspeakable horrors which lurk beyond this mortal realm. You permanently lose 1 WIS which cannot be healed by any means.
17SIGHT BEYOND SIGHTEverytime you look at someone: they age before your eyes, you see their death, you see their skeleton, you see their alignment aura, you see the face of a deceased loved one (you choose).
18FRACTURED MINDYour mind has become trapped straddling two universes. Whenever you are required to make a binary decision (Yes/No, Left/Right, Up/Down, Kill/Don't Kill) you must roll a d6 to determine your state of mind; 1-4 Your decision is unnafected, 5 You must change your mind to the opposite choice, 6 You become catatonic.
19MALODOUROUSYou smell of: sulfur, stale urine, faeces, rancid milk, orc, a week old corpse (you choose). This change is permanent and cannot be reversed by any means only masked by strong perfumes.
20GM'S CHOICEGM rerolls and chooses the effect for you.

3 Stage AD&D Miniatures

(R to L): Citadel (ADD11) Female Wizard (Lvl 1)
Ral Partha (01-331) Illusionist (Lvl 2), Illusionist (Lvl 3)

Wednesday 7 March 2012

My response to 20 Quick Questions

My responses to the 20 Quick Questions posed by Brendan over at Untimateley

1.  Ability scores generation method? 

3d6 allocated as you wish (unmodified rolls below 7 are ignored as they're not heroic enough) if you don't meet a class minimum I'll allow a couple of points to be traded between stats.  If a modified score drops to 7 or below as a result of age or race modifiers then it stays.

2.  How are death and dying handled?

If a PC was trying to do something stupid or after repeated DM warnings then they'll most likely die.  If it was something heroic or their PC background compelled them then they'll probably live... Maybe.  As soon as you hit 0 HP you are considered incapacitated, go below that and you are dying of bloodloss at -1HP per turn until you hit -10 HP were you are dead.  A heal or a first aid can bring you back to 0 HP from where you can heal normally or magically.  Restoration of missing body parts can only be done through magical or divine means. 

3.  What about raising the dead?

Absolutely, but its hard, rare and usually against the law.  If it happens to a PC then then they will return with an extra quirk which, as the DM, I can use to compel the character.  After all, the Reaper must always be paid.

4.  How are replacement PCs handled?

I don't tend to kill off pcs (as a result of Q2) but if it happens then they will have to play an NPC until there's a suitable plot point to inject the character of their choice.  I will often suggest a class to play depending on the party dynamic/class mix or if the dead PCs player was actually trying to play a different class when their PC died.

5.  Initiative: individual, group, or something else?

I use record cards to track combat so every PC gets to roll their own initiative.  Major NPCs get their own individual cards but minion NPCs and monsters who attack in groups only get one card and therefore one initiative roll.  I allow PCs to hold their action, but their card (and consequently) will get placed back into the initiative stack in this new order and stays there unless they hold their action again until the beginning of the next combat round.  As a result they will effectively miss a combat action, but this effecitively models them "waiting for an opportunity" and is a suitable penalty for making me work harder.
 
6.  Are there critical hits and fumbles? How do they work?

Yes.  PCs get critical hits and fumbles on rolls of natural 20 and 1 respectively, Monsters and NPCs can never score critical hits, only fumbles.  I don't adjust these target values by weapon type but skills and abilities such as marksman or battlerage may lower the critical target to 19 or at very best 18, fumble targets only ever get raised above 1 if the PC is subject to a bad luck curse.  I use my Decision Deck to suggest a theatrical effect for both critical hit and fumble which I can modify depending on the weapon or attack used.  The decision deck effects are ranked in three grades minor, major and fatal and range from just missing an action or being stunned for a few rounds to losing a an eye, limb or being eviscerated on the spot.

7.  Do I get any benefits for wearing a helmet?

Yes, you get an armour bonus but there can be other non combat advantages such as disguise bonuses or if they are of horrific or terrible design, bonuses to intimidate or opposed morale checks when worn.

8.  Can I hurt my friends if I fire into melee or do something similarly silly?

You bet, but I will stop short of allowing your stupidity to kill another player, let's hope you don't fumble though.

9.  Will we need to run from some encounters, or will we be able to kill everything?

Most encounters are designed to be challenging for the players, but utimately achievable.  However, if the plot requires, for example, that they have a certain artifact in order to defeat the major boss then they'll have to run away.  I occassionally "steer" my players towards a solution by using an impending massively scaled threat, but these are few and far between.

10.  Level-draining monsters: yes or no?

To be fair I've not tried it so far as I've always thought it an administrative nightmare, but I liked Tim Brannan's recent article on the subject Undead: I don't like Level Drain and am itching to give his suggestions a go.

11.  Are there going to be cases where a failed save results in PC death?

No, partly as a result of observing the "rule of stupid" (see Q2) and partly because I hate entirely random deaths.  Anecdote Alert: I once played this sci-fi game where immediately after we had spent an hour rolling up characters we were began teleporting down to the surface of a planet.  The DM said that the teleporter was not 100% effective and lo and behold a PC fumbled their roll (which the DM actually rolled anyway) and they got turned inside out.  What the DM thought they were achieving by doing this is unknown, but what they actually achieved was a 20 minute lag for everyone whilst the unfortunate player rolled up another character.

12.  How strictly are encumbrance & resources tracked?

I have recently taken to using my Item Cards to track PCs equipment but this is mostly so that players manage the items that they've got in their hands, are wearing or have stowed in backpacks (or in their saddlebags which are on their horse which is outside the dungeon (or in the dragons belly!!)).  Each card has a relative encumberance value and from time to time I check the total encumberance and the number of cards.
   
13.  What's required when my PC gains a level? Training? Do I get new spells automatically? Can it happen in the middle of an adventure, or do I have to wait for down time?

I tend to award XP in the natural lulls between sections of a campaign.  Spellcasters will acquire new spells or prayers as and when they encounter other spellcasters or find tomes containing them.  These may be of a level above that which they can cast and they will only be able to add it to their spell or prayer book, casting will have to wait until they level up.  Similar things can happen for new feats or abilities for other classes.  Fighters and rogues may meet an NPC who teaches you a new combat move or a new technique for lock picking but you want be able to take advantage of this new found knowledge until you've levelled up.

14.  What do I get experience for?

Everything you do, I believe XP should not be awarded just for killing things, in fact there are times when penalties should be awarded for this.  If the plot demands that an NPC is captured alive rather than killed, I prefer to award full XP only if they achieve this, half or no XP will be awarded if they end up killing them.  "Roleplaying" awards are generally given for interesting or successful non combat encounters or for discovering clues and progressing the plot.  Making me laugh is a sure fire way to gain XP.

15.  How are traps located? Description, dice rolling, or some Combination? 

PCs make spot hidden object or search rolls. PCs can suggest the type of trap they are looking for and I modify the target number if they are warm or cold.

16.  Are retainers encouraged and how does morale work?

I don't encourage or discourage them.  They tend to be expendable level 0 NPCs which I control or if every party member has one I'll make sure that each player plays someone else's retainer.  Their Morale will be based on a D20 roll under their WISDOM score.

17.  How do I identify magic items?

This largely depends on your class.  Spellcasters can obviously use Detect Magic spell but rogues can use evaluate or local knowledge or rumor to research the history of an item which may reveal that it has some additional magical aspects.  In both cases you will never truly know what an item or artifact does until you try to use it

18.  Can I buy magic items? Oh, come on: how about just potions?

Absolutely, if you can find Ye Olde Magick Shoppe.  I prefer that some magical things are not solely the preserve of Mages, so Scribes, Apothecaries, Priests, Monks, Druids and Alchemists may also be able to knock up potions of healing, wards, scrolls or other such items.

19.  Can I create magic items? When and how?

Yes, if creation can easily be worked into the regular game sessions, otherwise it's reserved for non-game time between campaigns.  I'm happy for a player to retire their character in the middle of a campaign if they absolutely have to but they run the risk of the party never returning to that location again.  This has not happened to me so far.

20.  What about splitting the party?

All the time, I don't try to force party cohesion, some classes work best when they are working alone.  When in cities it is often necessary for you to investigate several leads at once.  If there's going to be a big battle then try to bring everyone together for the best chance of success. 

I am often reminded of the standard Dr. Who plot exposition which goes like this: Tardis lands on planet, Doctor and assistant get split up and each find a group of protagonists.  An event occurs and the Doctor and Assistant swap groups of protagonists.  Doctor reunites with assistant and they determine which group of protagonists are Good or Evil.  Doctor and Assistant side with Good protagonists and defeat evil or unite protagonist groups.

Tuesday 6 December 2011

Minions: my OSR take on the one hit wonder.

One of the 4e concepts that intrigued me most was the idea of minions, I thought it was very cinematic and was itching to see what it was like from a player perspective.  Earlier this year when I got a chance to play in a demo game I was quite dissapointed, there was no sense of fear or uncertainty about the whole combat and It left me quite unsatisfied.

despicable me minions
Geek Ken has some useful advice on how 4e DMs should use minions, particularly in the use of attack waves and Glimm's Workshop introduces the Resolve concept to make minions a little tougher but clearly something is not quite right with the rules for minions as they stand.

In OSR (or retroclones) a monster is generally ranked by its Hit Dice (HD) which in most cases equates to 1d8 of HP.  The DM can simply turn any monster into a 1 hit wonder by reducing the number of HP it has to a value below the minimum damage dealt by the majority of the party.  Even at 1st level this is usually around the 4HP mark and will increase slowly as the party's levels and damage bonuses increase. 

HOW I HOUSERULE MINIONS OLD SCHOOL STYLE

How the DM assigns this HP reduction is up to them, for me this depends on what type of monster I am stocking the encounter with.  If it's a creature with animal intelligence or lower with no social structure then I'll either randomly roll or just assign every creature the same value say 4HP per HD.  However, if it's a creature with higher than animal intelligence or an animal which has a clear social aspect then I like to use the following system:
  • ALPHA - (8HP per HD) - This is the pack leader or alpha, the toughest member of the encountered group and will be the one giving the orders.  There can never be more than one Alpha in a group regardless of its size.
     
  • BETA - (6HP per HD) - These are the Alpha's bullies, they do what the Alpha tells them to and will bully the norms into doing what the Alpha demands.  Their number depends largely on the size of the group but I like to use the ratio of 1 Beta to every 5 Norms.

  • NORM - (4 HP per HD ) - The rank and file version of the creature who will be goaded into action by the BETA or ALPHA.  In some cases I'll keep the actual value of Norm HP fluid just in case the PCs have excessively bad rolls, after all there's no point in them falling at the first hurdle and getting slaughtered by minions.
TAKING DOWN THE ALPHA

If players have the opportunity to observe a group before engaging they should be able to identify each ALPHA and BETA.  This may have a bearing on their plan of attack, particularly if they have ranged specialists which can target the ALPHA and BETA types and take them out provoking a morale check which may result in the norms fleeing or surrendering and giving the PCs the victory but morale for minions is another thing all together and maybe a subject for a future article.

Wednesday 17 November 2010

Sin? or is it just Karma

Thanks to Jeff Rients for his thought provoking post Sin and Sin Points draft as I've been struggling with a way to explain how my Evil races exist.

Back in the day I playtested a friend's game about fairies (it was self published and even though I'm a credited playtester, I can't remember the name of the system... Answers on a postcard to the usual address please) which utilised a Karma system to manage Alignment.

The fun thing about the Karma system was that if you were essentially Good and did bad things you became Evil and vice versa. The whole game was wrapped around this concept.. The scenarios were based around the eternal struggle between the Good and Evil Fairies, Brownies, Redcaps, Pixies and Unicorns of Englis folklore. The task of the PCs was to convert the Evil fairies by not just foiling their plans but making them do Good things and making them gradually less Evil.

One of the most fun aspects of this Whenever you lost Karma (or gained it) your physical appearance would gradually change until you eventually changed into your Evil variant. This led to a little subterfuge on the players parts as the GM might make you grow a wart, one of your eyes would change colour or you'd get Evil eyebrows overnight!!

I thought that this physical change might work in my world so thinking cap on, my thoughts are thus:

Every race has it's Evil counter-race. Except Humans, 'cause every rule has to have an exception, each Race's diametrically opposed race is the antithesis of the Good. So for Elves who are very cultured and graceful it would have to be Goblins, who are crude, vulgar ugly creatures. This could take some time to put together but once the different factors are weighed up I should be able to come up with some nice transitions for the 6 or so common PC Races and the more common evil monsters.

The Alignment wheel has potential. As a mechanism to gauge the transitions from Good to Evil it's crude so maybe sub divide it a little to make the shift more gradual and give the player time to repent.

My pantheon needs more Evil Gods - I've always thought that my campaign world's Pantheon was a bit loaded towards the Neutral or Good sides. It will force me to be a bit creative and there's more opportunity for plots which take place in my teutonic setting of Wulfschlossen where the boy King's army is led by a bunch of Bishop Generals.

It would give the Paladins a bit more colour. I've always thought that they were a bit too shiny and needed a few shades of bent copper added to the mix. Historically the Templars became tarnished when Pope Clement V abolished the order claiming that they were not Holy Defenders but Heretics.

Death is not the answer. However, when a PC gets to zero hit points and falls unconcious they should have a near death experience. As a result they could come back with a slight Alignment shift towards the darkside and maybe that wart or slightly greener shade of skin.

or I might be completely bonkers. You decide... BlogBooster-The most productive way for mobile blogging. BlogBooster is a multi-service blog editor for iPhone, Android, WebOs and your desktop

There's a rat in me kitchen what am I gonna do?

Well, over here in Blighty the nights are drawing in and the temperature has dropped, consequently I am now sharing my home with at least one field mouse.

I have to admit that, when we came face to nose, I did go a bit girly and shriek like Mammy Two Shoes when she sees Jerry the mouse.

It got me thinking about the classic movie scene when the heroes are going through a tunnel or sewer and a horde of rats comes writhing towards them and how whenever I've set the same scene in my game my players never react like I did when I saw the mouse?  The D20 SRD says that a rat swarm will cause

"Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with a swarm in its square must succeed on a DC 12 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based."

The problem with this is that I want the players to suffer the effects before they are in the swarm and I want a fear condition not nausea.  Fear also escalates with exposure so a character who fails a fear check (Will save) is Shaken, fail twice and they're Frightened, fail three times and they're Panicked.  I just want 1 roll so I'm going to try:
  • Fail by 1-3: Shaken
  • Fail by 4-6: Frightened
  • Fail by 7 or more: Panicked
This should prove entertaining...