Alignment & Spell Casting

                I use alignment to power SPELL selection
therefore, alignment has real meaning and game application.
...You can cast a spell repeatedly provided you don't exceed level based limits for SPELLS ALLOWED PER DAY if any only if your alignment is congruent with the magic school.

        Lawful creatures are reliable and dependable.  They respect authority and tradition. Lawful characters can be counted on to follow rules and leaders, even when leadership or regulations appear to be inconsistent or erroneous.   Lawful civilizations often have a hereditary monarchy whom are limited by feudalism  and/ or codified law.  The vast majority of property is passed to the oldest son; thereby, insuring the wealth and integrity of familial estates.

            Divine spheres or magical schools that are considered Lawful (L) are abjuration, alchemy, earth, justice, protection, runes, and strength.

 …

CHAOTIC individuals avoid details, platitudes and commitment.  Some may view them as reckless and undependable; however, they tend to be tolerant and accepting of others. They place a great value on liberty and choice. Chaotic societies tend to be organized by clans or tribes with property being inherited by the strongest progeny or the bulk of the estate is buried with the decedent.

            Divine spheres or magical schools that are considered Chaotic (C) are air, charm, enchantment, illusion, liberation, luck, trickery and wind/ zephyr.

…

            NEUTRAL creatures value their families and personal security over cosmic or moral issues.  They will only take a risk if the gains are large or if their family or homes are threatened.  Neutral civilizations tend to be ruled by elected officials or guilds.  Property is inherited thru adherence to a written will.

            There are no ‘neutral’ magical spheres, but Nature has her own adherents (plants, animals, weather). Any caster may use general or unassigned spheres ( - ) of magic such as conjuration, evocation, fire, knowledge, transmutation, travel, war and wish.

                ..

      GOOD creatures revere truth, beauty, charity, chastity, sobriety and the property rights of the weak. Good PCs will pledge their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to defeat tyranny.

          Divine spheres or magical schools that are considered Good (G) or white magic are divination, creation, healing, honor, nobility, sun and water  .

 …

EVIL creatures do not respect the life, liberty or the property rights of others. They are motivated by personal gain and a sense of entitlement.  They take, kill or deceive without remorse and follow leaders because of ambition, fear or greed, not adoration. 

            Divine spheres or magical schools that are considered evil or black magic are curses, darkness, death, destruction, disease and necromancy.

 

      Players may choose any alignment they want and need not reveal it to others.  There are some magical items that can only be used by one alignment of characters.       If the Dungeon Master feels that a character has begun to behave in a manner inconsistent with his declared alignment he may rule that he has changed alignment and penalize the character with a loss of one level. 

…

No cleric, priest, agent or mage can know or learn spells that are of opposite alignment than their own;

lawful mages cannot cast charm or illusions.   And 

 good priests may cast cure wounds multiple  provided they don’t exceed their level based limits or spells allowed per day.

…

 

             Evil people seldo declare their motivations.    Evil NPCs will attend charity events, political rallies and worship services alongside decent and loyal villagers. Many evil people actually have little insight into their true nature, hiding behind half-truths and excuses, insisting that the problem lies in other people’s misinterpretation of their behavior.  Part of being an effective conman, charlatan, politician, blogger troll or trial lawyer is to actually deceive yourself into believing that the product, cure, cause or argument that you champion is just or righteous.  

…

Evil people depend upon duplicity and deceit to further their selfish and malicious goals.  The wiser and more powerful the being, the more established and influential their social ties; therefore, even if the truth is openly declared, it will often be ignored, distorted, mocked or violently denounced as slander. Although know alignment spell is personally edifying to the caster, it will seldom convince others that an influential NPC is a crook, liar, undead or worse. 

 …

                Real people (your friends, family and neighbors) are often more complex than fantasy characters. Discretion and tact dictates it is best to avoid using fantasy game mechanics to categorize individuals or political parties as good or evil & lawful or chaotic. Real people tend to have diverse motivations and do not readily settle on Table 4.1 that was liberated from the blog of Roger the GS on 29 Sep 2010.

Do SKILLS belong in classical gaming ?

I have never been a fan of feats, yet
I maintain that skills ARE old school. What is NOT consistent with classical gaming is munchkin character builds and complex formulas to calculate one’s proficiency or rank in a skill.
Two examples . . .


This fine argument from Mystic Mogul posted on 17 Sep 2010. . .

"First up is the idea that Skill Challenges are new to fourth edition. Nonsense! We've been struggling with them for years--let's look at a example from the 2nd edition Player's Handbook.A

" ' A freak wave sweeps Fiera (an elf) overboard during the night. Fortunately, she can swim and knows that land is nearby. Bravely, she sets out through calm water. Her Constitution score is 16. After 14 hours of steady swimming, she makes out an island on the horizon. Two hours later she is closer, but still has some way to go. During the next hour (her 17th in the water), her Constitution drops to 15 (her attack penalty is -17!) and she must make a Constitution check. A 12 is rolled--she passes. In the last hour, the 18th, the seas become rough. Her Constitution is now 13 (the DM ruled that the heavy seas made her lose 2 points of Constitution this hour), and the DM decides she must pass an extra Constitution check to reach shore. She rolls a 5 and flops onto shore, exhausted. ' ”


Traveller, the Role Playing game was first published in 1977.
Note that game's heavy dependence on skill usage.


Now, that we established that skills are consistent with classical game play.
Why should we include them . . .

The elegant use of a skill system allows seamless customization of characters without having to propagate an endless series of new character classes. No need for a ranger class, just have you fighter select tracking and stealth as skills. No need for a sage class, just have your mage acquire scroll craft and archaic knowledge.

The use of a skill system provides value for the non-fighters and those characters who lack spell casting abilities; i.e., a thief with climb skill is going to have a much higher degree of expertise or rank than an equal level fighter or priest who also has climb skill.

Long gone are those days of endless time and four television channels when you had hours upon hours to design and craft your own unique dungeons and adventurers. The use of a skill system is a great time saver for the modern, adult game master who has significant work, familial and social commitments.

A skill system (and ascending armor class) makes your rules compatible with the most popular game system of all time
(OGL, v.3.X, and Pathfinder).
The GM can now scavenge a plethora of free or darn near free adventures from the net, E-bay or Amazon for hiser weekly game. An OGL compatible game allows a resourceful GM to more rapidly prepare stories, maps, plot hooks and stat blocks.

“Make everything as simple as possible, but no simpler”
Attributed to Albert Einstein

Under WhiteFang Mountain

Our five characters (cleric, thief, agent* and two fighters) in our party fought our way with ease through the tunnels of the troglodytes. The wily troglodyte shaman unleashed his worse on us; poisonous snakes, flaming strike, devil rays, but to no avail, he and his minions were soaking up damage. Realizing all was lost, the trog shaman tried to flee behind an obscuring mist. But our pseudodragon, Whiskers quickly tracked the cool trail of blood from the retreating shaman to a arrow crevice. The wounded troglodyte made a defiant final stand with his viper rod, but was decapitated by my battle axe.

This all was leading up to a showdown with a scheming dragon, Rathulagon. Our hope centered on the other fighter, George making a lucky hit from his masterwork composite bow with an arrow of evil slaying.

Upon entering the dank lair of the evil Rathulagon, the thief was well-prepared with his potion of invisibility and his stealth sword. My fighter, Clovis drank his potion of haste. The lawful good cleric blessed the party and cast fire resistance upon Clovis (front and center), then hung back in gaseous form waiting to aid the injured or dying with her staff of curing. Whiskers flew high and right armed with a wand of magic missiles. The agent (house rule - mage/thief), Lexus prepared her lightning bolt spell. Our intention was to scatter quickly; the dragon wouldn’t get all of us, but I feared, he would get enough of us. The surprise/initiative dice were rolled . . . Drat, a tie. At least we weren’t surprised, and ties go to player characters.

“Who disturbs my rest?”, bellowed the mighty Rathulagon (AC 23, 152hp).

Clovis’ reply was a solid strike in the chest with a javelin of lightning. Lexus let loose with a lightning bolt to the head. George rolled a ‘2’ and his arrow of evil slaying bounced pathetically and impotently off a stalactite. The red dragon shrugged off the 40+ hit points (hp) of electrical damage and breathed fire, searing both fighters, Clovis and George. Fortunately, we both made our reflex saves and were only moderately injured (18hp).

The next round, our thief pounced from hiding, rolling a natural ‘20’, but Rathulagon had a +12 fortitude save and no critical hit was obtained. The thief inflicted merely 6 hp with his back stab. The thief earned no glory that day, but he did gain the ire of an all ready angry dragon. The rest of our party did their best to inflict damage with melee weapons, but Rathulagon was a brutal and dangerous adversary. This was going to be a brutal battle of attrition; axes, swords and magic missiles, versus fangs, talons and dragon fire.

Six rounds latter, after failing his attempt to take escape, the smoldering dragon corpse lay adjacent to the bodies of an eviscerated thief and a crispy critter, we used to call George. Battered, burned and bleeding, the survivors gathered up the loot; gold, silver, gems, a flaming sword, and a mithral suit of elven mail. It was going to be expensive to reincarnate our fallen comrades, but our previous good deeds had earned us the respect and sympathy of the provincial church. Fortunately, our prior generosity also allowed us access to a high level (10th) priest.

The Future of Tabletop RPGs ?

Before, I leave for today’s weekly gaming session;
It is obvious from reading other peoples’ blogs
that finding an old school game is not easy.
I know, I game with dedicated 3-tards.

Many retroclones will have a hard time drawing in youth or newbies because they require patience, determination, literacy and/or are counter-intuitive;
descending armor class (WTF?)
Roll high to save and hit,
But roll low for thief skills, find secret doors, etc..

Teaching your own children to game, doesn’t count –
they will most likely abandon’s dad’s (and/or mom’s) hobby
when they discover cars or
their own sexuality.

I believe retro cones will have a hard time converting 3-tards and 4-ons.
IMHO the future of our dwindling hobby belongs to game systems with the CLASSIC feel
AND 3.x or Pathfinder compatibility.
Primarily, because those systems have SO MANY modules, splat books and GM materials available for FREE
(or darn near free on Amazon or Ebay)!

See http://donjon.bin.sh/d20/dungeon/

From Cyclopeatron   ,  26 April 2013

Relative Popularities of OSR Games

If G+ community size is any indicator...

634 - Swords & Wizardry
551 - Original D&D
549 - Dungeon Crawl Classics
512 - Advanced D&D
329 - Lamentations of the Flame Princes
236 - Adventurer Conqueror King
222 - Labyrinth Lord
209 - Castles and Crusades
208 - Basic Fantasy
143 - Talislanta
124 - Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea
119 - Adventures Dark and Deep
115 - Holmes Basic
110 - Basic / Expert D&D
97 - AD&D 2e
70 - Delving Deeper

For Reference

2142 - Pathfinder   ( which is more  than S&W, DCC, LotFP, ACK and LL combined)
1465 - OSR Group
1430 - Dungeon World
1195 - Savage Worlds
733 - D&D Next
653 - D&D (4e)
 

classic Small Unit Ranged Combat

Just like in melee combat, you roll 1d6 for each attacking unit. If the die result is equal to above the numbered required on the table, a figure casualty has been inflicted on one’s opponent (remove miniature from play).

……………….….DEFENDING…UNIT……
Attk…… A.….B.….C.….D.….E.….F

Frbll.…....4.…...4…...3…...3…....2…..2
Mskt….....5.… ..4…..4.......3…....3…..2
Lngbw......5… ..5…...4......4…...3……3

XBow......6….. 5…...5….....4…....4……3
Bow....... .6….. 6…...5….....5…....4…...4
Sling..……7….. .6…...6…...5…....5…...4



Unlike melee combat, defenders get a saving throw if successfully hit in range combat if and only if they have adequate cover or concealment. Roll d6 for each unit struck (higher is better),
rerolling ones if target is small size
(such as elves, goblins, halflings, etc.):

6+ if wooden shield, brush and/or fog,
5+ if kite shield, low fence and/ or trees,
4+ if tower shield, battlements and/or trenches,
3+ if murder hole, hidden and/or invisibility.

Range is expressed in map squares, not in inches. Each map square or hex represents ten feet of simulated distance. Each unit (5 soldiers) or monster figure controls a single square. Two figures cannot occupy the same square. If figures are touching they are locked in melee; otherwise, missile combat is allowed. Subtract one from d6 roll if long range (twice that listed).


Bow (TL II, Range is 10” ): this weapon is a flexible piece of wood, bent by a string or cord between its ends. The bow is designed for propelling long finned darts known as arrows. Unlike firearms, which kill by shock, bows kill by causing internal bleeding. The bow is 30-40” in length; twelve arrows are usually carried on a quiver on the owner’s side or back. Bows are used by mounted archers (TL III) and many ground units; elves, orcs, goblins, skeletons, etc..

Crossbow (TL IV, Range is 15” ): combining mechanical leverage with archery, the crossbow has more accuracy and lethality than a bow. The owner of this weapon will carry 20 bolts (or quarrels) in a quiver at his side. This is the preferred range weapon of dwarves. Although a crossbow has a slower rate of fire than a bow, it requires less training to develop proficiency.

Fireball Range is 20” this simulates the 3rd level magic-user spell. The fireball spell effects a number of units = spell caster’s level divided by two.

Longbow (TL IV, Range is 12”): an advanced infantry design, this bow is as tall as an ordinary man. The longbow requires years of training to use skillfully (‘on mark’), but is capable of killing at significant range. The longbow’s body is shaped from a single piece of rare and highly-prized yew wood. The bow string is woven from flax or hemp. Only gnolls and veteran human archers usually deploy long bows.

Musket (TL V, Range is 9” ): a version of this sturdy 18th century infantry weapon had a service life of over 150 years with the British military. The musket uses a flint striker which ignites the main charge (black powder); thereby propelling a .50 caliber lead ball down a 20” barrel. A skilled musketeer is capable of firing three shots per minute. Although dependable and lethal, these firearms are not very accurate. Muskets and matchlocks were adapted by renaissance armies over longbows, because muskets more readily penetrate plate armor and longbows require an extensive amount of training to become proficient. Musket is also used to simulate spells that attack a single target such as flame strike, blight or lightning bolt.

“Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes.”
William Prescott, June 1775

Sling (TL I, Range is 8” ): a piece of leather that has been shaped to engage centrifugal force to hurl a rock a stone. Rerolls ones if used by halflings. Treat web as a sling that holds enemies in place; it effects number of units= half spell caster’s level. Sling is also used to simulate magic missile.

miniature is bronze age miniatures
>unit casualties includes MORALE
(lawful troops are LESS likely to break)

these rules inspired by wardammer and Maldecon

classic Small Unit Combat

A unit represents five soldiers or a single monster whose quality is graded on a scale from A thru F. Unit quality is not just based upon attacks, armor class and hit points but also includes less tangible qualities such as adroitness, ferocity, discipline, intelligence and courage. A unit defeated in combat is not always slain or killed; it is more typically captured, routed or broken.

A) = heavily armored and battle hardened crack units such as knights, bugbears, blink dogs or one troll (63hp) or one griffon (59hp).

B) = elite units such as lizardmen, sahuagin, mounted archers, elves, Legionnaires , or one unicorn (42hp).

C) = veteran units such as heavy infantry, light cavalry, dwarves, gnolls, hobgoblins, skeletons, mermen or one ogre (29hp) or one hippogriff (25hp).

D) = standard units such as light infantry, orcs, mercenaries, buccaneers, stirges, zombies or one worg (30hp) or one centaur (26hp).

E) = green or unreliable units such as militia, pirates, goblins, halflings or one boar (20hp).

F) = poor units such as conscripts, kobolds, levies, bandits, giant rats or one mastiff (12hp).

……………….….Defending…Unit………….
ATTR…….A.….B.….C.….D.….E.….F.
Crack.…....4.…...4…...3…...3…....2…...2
Elite…..…..5.… ..4…...4…...3…....3…...2
Vtrn....…...5… ..5…...4…....4…....3……3
Stndrd......6….. 5…...5…....4…....4……3
Green..... .6….. 6…...5…....5…....4…...4
Poor.....…7…....6…...6…....5…....5…...4

Reroll ‘1s’ if minor advantage such as
height, terrain, blessed, charging, or
infantry weapons deployed in formation.

Add +1 to result if significant advantage such as surprise, haste, invisibility, blurred or
if attacking opponent’s rear or right flank.

Subtract one if attacker is entangled, heavily encumbered, climbing ladders, slowed or webbed.

Origins of Myth

The bones of the dimetrodon discovered by ancient Greeks were the inspiration for a classical and persistent mythological monster.

What do we have here?

body and tail of a lion,
head and claws of an eagle,
and long support bones,
. . . it must be a GRIFFIN !

I was published in Fight On #8

A version of my critical hits system appears in that magazine.
If you are interested in the complete version (without errors) then send an email to
clovisCithog AT hotmail DOT com

I was published in FIGHT ON #9

a section of this text is found in issue nine . . .

The lone d6 rolled behind the screen is a convenient and rapid way for the GM to determine success or failure at a task not specifically outlined in the rules.
This is accomplished by mentally accessing the LIKELYHOOD of success, then if the d6 result falls in the range listed (lower is better), the character achieves the desired goal.

ALWAYS (6 or less)
USUALLY (5 or less)
OFTEN (4 or less)
FREQUENTLY (3 or less)
SOMETIMES (2 or less)
UNLIKELY (1 or less)
RARELY (0 or less)
PREPOSTEROUS (-1 or less)
IMPOSSIBLE (-2 or less)

Re roll all ‘1s’ if character is a novice
(1st level or less)

&

Re roll all ‘6s’ if character is accomplished adventurer
(6th level or higher)

Typical Modifiers to Difficulty Class

-1…..Low applicable Ability Score (< 10)
+1……Exceptional applicable Ability Score (17+)

-1…..Character is rushed, hurried or careless
-1…..Character is encumbered
+1……Racial or class proclivity

-1…..Player utters these words, “I am an elf”
+1……Player gives detailed explanation or
+2…..Player’s explanation makes GM laugh

all modifiers are cumulative

Acknowledgements to Jeff Reint’s Blog Post
“The Hardest Working Die in Show Business”

weapon restriction by class

“BUT GANDALF WAS A MAGIC USER,”
is the familiar lament.
My response is memorized -
“Gandalf was an immortal or angel , not merely a magic-user. So when your character is 700 years old, then and only then will I let your magic-user use a sword; unless of course, you are willing to give up some spell casting ability in exchange for your desired prowess with a long-sword.”

SEVERAL REASONS WHY I PREFER
WEAPON RESTRICTION BY CLASS:

It is HISTORICALLY ACCURATE, in the past humans defined their role by the weapons with which they concentrated their training:
Samurai specialized with the naginata, the katana and the bow,
Medieval mercenaries excelled in the use of the crossbow,
Renaissance infantry trained either with the pike or the musket,
and Modern infantry are trained with assault rifles and light machineguns,
while pistols are reserved for officers and
submachingeguns are reserved for special forces.

TRUE OCCULT LITERATURE does not support sword welding mages. The sword/ blade/ athame used by traditional magicians is not a weapon but a focus of occult or spiritual energy; see Familiar Spirits by Donald Tyson, Finding the Third Eye by Vera Stanley Adler and Three Books of Occult Philosophy by Cornelius Agrippa. (yes, I have read all three – for education purposes- I am not a self-proclaimed magician or occultist).

Authors like Jack Vance and Michael Morcock allow their spell casting protagonists to use swords; however, I do not consider Turjan and Elric to be true wizards, I would classify them as agents or jacks-of-all-trades (fighter/thief/mage) for which I have created a special class in my DnD campaigns to emulate these characters.

Weapon restriction by class helps the GM to AVOID THE JERK factor; if I place a +1 battle-axe in my game, I understand it is going to be used by the fighter, the barbarian or the warrior. I do not want to sit through a 20 minute argument while the magic-user, thief or the priest tries to justify why their character would be best served by owning the +1 battle axe. If I want to power-up the non-fighter types I will added an enchanted staff, short-sword or mace to the treasure haul.

NOW, instead of using weapon proficiencies (AD&D), I presume PCs will invest their down time between gaming session refining their skill with their current selection of armaments; therefore, characters are proficient with all weapons allowed to their class.

I also allow priests to use those weapons ordained by their deity; for example priests of Diana the Huntress would be allowed to use bows and priests of Ares the Warrior would be allowed to use the spear and the gladius.

I respect individual GMs right to create their own worlds and campaigns containing their own unique flavors and tastes; therefore, weapons available to a character class would be agreed upon or modified before game play commences.

Now players being players, they always want to bend the rules or operate outside of their character’s expertise.
I simulate the probability of a PC successfully deploying a weapon not standard to their class
or attempting a skill for which they have no training by
rolling d12 (instead of d20) allowing the normal modifiers (ability, circumstance, role playing, etc.) for the situation.

image from http://smartpei.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451db7969e2010536503001970b-800wi