Foreword I have been game mastering the advanced edition of the original role playing game for about 26 years. During the last 6-7 years I have also been running a campaign in the original edition of the same game. We started by using only the three original booklets, but in the spirit of the game I also started adding house rules as the campaign grew. I kept a small notebook at the table and in that book I recorded all of my campaign notes. It had notes on all of the house rules that we either invented or adapted from other sources. Some were things that we found useful during this specific campaign and others were ideas that had been with me for as long as I can remember. Over the years the notebook has become unwieldy and disorganized. As a result almost all of the notes and house rules have now been compiled into this document which in turn has become the only “supplement” that we use with the three original booklets. I initially only set out to reorganize my campaign but while writing I also decided to share it with the online community. With that decision the text grew to include guidelines on how I have chosen to run my game. Keep in mind that all of these "house rules" and guidelines are provided as a source of inspiration and not as an authority on how to run your game. I run this campaign a bit more procedural than I do my advanced campaign because I feel that it's closer to how the game was played in the years just after its inception. It also fits with the more casual style of play that we have come to enjoy. I know that this can be a sensitive topic and I am not looking to offend anyone. If you disagree with any of the guidelines or house rules in this supplement I would suggest that you read this page a second time. I encourage every reader to ignore any rule or guideline that do not match the preferred play-style of the reader. We have enjoyed the original game as a more casual experience. We do some dungeon crawling whenever we have time to spare. We’ve had so much fun that this more casual style of play has grown to overshadow our regular advanced campaign. The pandemic and other events in my personal life has delayed the release of this booklet by about 18 months. On the other hand, there should not be much difference between 2019 and 2021 seeing as the original game was released in 1974. This booklet was originally a saddle bound booklet in the same format as the original three. For international distribution "Perfect bound" was sadly the only option. I hope you find this document inspiring and useful. As with all other supplements, read, get inspired, keep what you like and discard what you don’t like. Have fun and “Fight On!” Erik Johansson © Erik Johansson, 2021. Released under terms of the open gaming license version 1.0a, Copyright 2000, Wizard of the coast.
Förlag: BoD – Books on Demand, Stockholm, Sverige Tryck: BoD – Books on Demand, Norderstedt, Tyskland ISBN: 978-91-7969-984-0
Index Foreword................................................................................................1 Rolling for Attributes................................................................................4 Attribute Modifiers..................................................................................4 The Effect of Attribute Modifiers...............................................................4 Rolling for Hit Points................................................................................5 Kin, Type or "Race"..................................................................................5 Character Class......................................................................................6 Prime Requisite.......................................................................................6 Fighter...............................................................................................7 Thief..................................................................................................7 Cleric................................................................................................8 Wizard..............................................................................................8 Paladin..............................................................................................8 Barbarian..........................................................................................9 Ranger..............................................................................................9 Druid*.............................................................................................10 Hero status...........................................................................................11 Task Resolution.....................................................................................12 Dungeon Maps: Distance and Size........................................................13 Dungeon Maps: Level of Detail.............................................................13 Inspecting Doors...................................................................................13 Forcing a Stuck Door............................................................................14 Creature Reactions...............................................................................14 Initiative...............................................................................................14 Time and Wandering Creatures.............................................................15 Encounter Distance...............................................................................16 Surprise................................................................................................16 Movement During Encounters...............................................................16 The One Minute Combat Round............................................................17 The Concept of Hit Points......................................................................18 Creature Damage Rolls.........................................................................18 The Individual Attack Roll......................................................................19 Multiple Attack Rolls..............................................................................19 Heavy and Light Weapons.....................................................................20 Rolling Creature Hit Dice.......................................................................20 Broken Shield.......................................................................................21 Closing into Melee................................................................................21 Charging into Melee.............................................................................21 Retreating.............................................................................................22 Fleeing.................................................................................................22
Freedom of Action................................................................................22 Combat Without Visual Aids..................................................................23 Using a Ranged Weapon......................................................................24 Range..................................................................................................24 Rate of Fire...........................................................................................25 Injury and Death...................................................................................25 Recovery...............................................................................................26 Bandages.............................................................................................26 Spells, Memorization.............................................................................27 Spells, Casting Time.............................................................................27 Spells, Area of Effect.............................................................................28 Attack Roll Bonus..................................................................................28 Experience from Treasure......................................................................29 Experience from Defeated Creatures.....................................................29 Hit Dice................................................................................................30 Experience and Level............................................................................31 Spells, Magic and Miracles....................................................................32 Equipment............................................................................................34 Random Starting Equipment..................................................................36 Armor Value.........................................................................................37 Encumbrance.......................................................................................37 Sample Encumbrance Calculation.........................................................38 Container Capacity...............................................................................38 Movement Speed..................................................................................39 Weight of Treasure................................................................................39 Recruiting Hirelings and Henchmen.......................................................40 Time and Money...................................................................................41 Dungeon Stocking, Done Fast...............................................................42 “Theater of the mind“...........................................................................43 Example of play....................................................................................44 Wilderness Adventure...........................................................................46 Fatigue.................................................................................................47 Wilderness Encounters..........................................................................47
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Rolling for Attributes When creating a character the player rolls 3D6 seven times. One of the seven totals are dropped. The remaining six totals are arranged between the characters attributes according to player preference.
Attribute Modifiers Attrib Modifiers Each of the six attributes has a penalty or modifier associated. Check the table below to find the modifier for each attribute value. Attribute Value 3-6 7-14 15-18
Modifier -1 0 +1
The Eff Effect of Attr Attriibute Modi Modifiers •
Stre ngth Strength
Attack and damage bonus in melee combat used only by Fighters, Barbarians, Rangers and Paladins. Negative penalties are applicable to all classes.
•
Intelligence
Possible extra first level spell used only by Wizards. A negative modifier does not result in a loss of spells.
•
Wis Wisd dom
Possible extra first level spell used only by Clerics and Druids. A negative modifier does not result in a loss of spells.
•
Dexte erit rityy Dext
Penalty/Bonus to attack rolls when using a ranged weapon. This modifier also has a possible effect on initiative.
•
Constitution
Penalty/Bonus Hit Point to every rolled hit die.
•
Charissma Chari
Penalty/Bonus to reactions, morale and loyalty.
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Rolling for Hit Points When creating a character a number of six sided dice are rolled equal to the number of "hit dice" of the chosen class at the current level. The characters total number of Hit Points is equal to the resulting total plus any Constitution modifier added to each die. See "Hit Dice" (p. 30) later in this supplement for an example of this procedure. Whenever a character reaches a new level, the player rolls the number of hit dice allotted to the relevant class at the new level. Any Constitution modifier is added to each rolled die. If the total of the roll is equal or less than the characters current “Hit Point total” the characters total goes up by 1 point. If the new value is greater than the characters current “Hit Point total”, the characters total is replaced with the newly rolled total.
Kin, Type or "Rac "Race" The campaign takes place in a gritty and brutal world of sword & sorcery. Most "would be" empires have already risen and fallen. Self proclaimed Kings and Queens barely hold on to their domains. The frontier is full of warlords and tribes who all claim ownership over vaguely defined plots of land. Borders are constantly shifting and law is barely being upheld in areas around large population centers. The player characters are all assumed to be Human. Mythic things such as “Elves”, and “Halflings” do not exist. Dwarfs are gray skinned, black bearded, white eyed, "chaotic" humanoids that fight fiercely to stave of the human encroachment upon their domains beneath the mountains. Prehistoric lizards roam the wilderness. The frontier is dotted with crumbling temples, caves, castles and dungeons, long abandoned by prior civilizations. These are frightful places now dominated by chaotic humanoids, mutants, supernatural beings and the undead. On the other hand, they are also full of ancient artifacts, magic and treasures just waiting to be claimed by anyone brave enough. In pure game terms most (all) player characters are human. When discussing other types of characters we prefer not to use the term "race" but instead use terms such as kin or type. If a player wishes a character to be of a non-human type, GM consent is required. Such characters get no modifications to their attributes. The mechanical specifics of a character is bound to the characters chosen class and not to character type. A characters gender or sex also have no effect on game mechanics.
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Character Class The following classes are available and have the following prime requisites. Fig Figh hter Thieff Thie Cleric Wizard
Strength Dexterity Wisdom Intelligence
Paladin Paladin* Barba Barbarian rian* Ranger* Ranger Druid*
Strength and Charisma Constitution Strength and Dexterity Wisdom
* Optional classes that have been made available upon player request.
Prime Requisite Each class has specific attributes that are especially important for a character to be able to perform well in that class. Such an attribute is called a "Prime Requisite". If the attribute value is great enough, the character will gain a bonus to all obtained experience points. Classes with more than one prime requisite, requires a great enough value in each of the requisite attributes to obtain this bonus. Attribute Value 3-12 13-14 15-18
Experience Bonus 0% bonus 5% bonus 10% bonus
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Fighter "Soldier, Mercenary, Pirate, Knight, Warlord, Squire, Warrior, Swordsman" • • •
Weapons Wea pons: All Armor: Armor All Mu Mulltiple att attack ckss: A Fighter gets to perform multiple attack rolls during a single combat round up to a maximum equal to the number of hit dice of the fighter. See “multiple attacks” (p.19) in this supplement for guidelines.
Thie Thief "Bandit, Pickpocket, Burglar, Footpad, Assassin, Cutpurse, Trickster" • • • • • •
• • •
•
•
Weapons: Weapons All Armor: Cloth, Padded, Leather, Shield Armor Op Ope ening Lock Lockss: A Thief with the correct tools has the ability to pick locks. Disa arm small tra traps ps: A Thief with the corrects tools has the ability to detect Dis and disarm small mechanical traps. surface All characters can climb but a Thief can climb an Climb sheer surface: almost sheer surface (think parkour). Identifyy No Noiise se: A thief has through training and experience gained the Identif ability to identify faint sounds. These sounds can be heard at a greater distance or through a barrier such as a door. A thief hears these faint sounds at a higher level of detail than most. Picking Picking pocket pocketss: A Thief can pick the pockets of a non player character without being detected. Small objects can be obtained this way. Moving silently: silently A Thief can move on solid surfaces while making almost no audible noise. Backs cksttab ab: When attacking from behind a Thief can attempt a deadly Backstab. At level 1-3 a Backstab causes 2D6 points of damage. At level 4-6 a Backstab causes 3D6 points of damage. At level 7-12 a Backstab causes 4D6 points of damage. Hide e in shado shadows: A thief can slip into the shadows (if shadows are Hid available). Some form of distraction such as melee combat or similar is required for this to be possible. It is harder to slip into shadows while someone is observing a thief. Decipher: Decipher From level 3 onward a Thief has the ability to attempt to decipher non-magical ciphers, maps and messages.
Most Thief abilities require some form of roll to be successful. See “task resolution” (p.12) in this supplement for guidelines. Some Thief abilities such as "moving silently", "opening locks" and "hiding in shadows" are things that any character can attempt. The difference is that the level of difficulty would be less for a thief. Other abilities like "climb sheer surface" and "backstab" are unique to the thief class. These actions require specialized training.
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Cleric "Holy man, Schaman, Medecine man, Vampire hunter, Inquisitor, Adept, Cultist" • • •
•
Weapons Weapons: Club, Mace, Flail, Warhammer, Staff, Sling (Weapons allowed can vary slightly depending on the chosen deity) Armor Armor: Any Tu Turrn Undead: Undead A Cleric has the power to drive away and sometimes even destroy undead creatures. Based on GM judgment this may also be applied to other purely evil creatures. A Cleric needs to be in possession of a Holy symbol and in some cases such things as garlic, wolves bane or holy water. Miracl Miracle es: A Cleric can call upon miracles provided by the chosen deity
Wiz Wizard "Magic user, Conjurer, Magician, Seer, Sorcerer, Enchanter, Warlock" • • • • •
Weap Weapons ons: Staff, Dagger, Dart or Sling Armor Armor: Cloth, Padded Mag Magiic: A Wizard can wield the powers granted by magic and cast powerful spells. Scr Scro oll creat creatiion: A Wizard can create a scroll from a known spell. It takes one week and costs 100 gold pieces per spell level to create a scroll. Spell creation: creation A Wizard can create new spells. An agreement with the GM is required for spell creation and the GM decides upon the level of the created spell. It takes one week per spell level and costs 2000 gold pieces per spell level to create the new spell.
Pa Palladin "Champion, Crusader, Holy Warrior, Valkyrie, Prophet" Requires • • • • • • • •
Strength and Charisma of 15 or greater. We Wea apon pons: s: All Armor: All Heali alin ng Touch: A Paladin can magically heal as many HP as the level of the paladin plus 1d3. This can be performed two times per day. Detect Evil: At will, see spell for effect Protecttion from Ev Protec Eviil: At will, see spell for effect Serva Serv ant of ffaith: aith: A Paladin can never be in possession of more than 4 magical items, and may not own excessive wealth and must pay tithe to the chosen faith. Mira Miracl cle es: Limited access to cleric spells. Save: Saves as Fighter.
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Barbarian "Wanderer, Gladiator, Adventurer, Savage, Neanderthal, Viking, Brute" Requires • • • • • • •
Strength and Constitution of 15 or greater. We Wea apons pons: All Armor: Armor Cloth, Padded, Leather, Shield. Survival Survival: A Barbarian can gather enough food for one person by hunting or foraging. A Barbarian can always identify north when traveling in the wilderness. Multiple Attac ttackks: A Barbarian can perform multiple attack rolls the same way as a fighter. From level 4 onward a barbarian also has this ability against creatures with 2 hit dice or less. Fury: Fury A Barbarian gets a +2 bonus to any desperate feat of strength. There can be no deliberation or hesitation involved for the bonus to be granted. Toug Tough h: A Barbarian only needs 2 successful “survival saves” to stabilize when injured in combat. See "Injury and death" (p.25). Sav Save: Saves as a fighter.
Ranger "Steward, Archer, Strider, Warden, Hunter" Requires • • • • • • • • • •
Strength and Dexterity of 15 or greater. Weapons: All Armor: Cloth, Padded, Leather, Scale, Chain, Shield Neu Neuttralize Poi Poiso son n: A Ranger can attempt to neutralize poison within one round of a character getting poisoned. Move silently: In the wilderness a Ranger can move while making almost no audible sound. Conceal: In the wilderness a Ranger can conceal his location using camouflage. Scale: A Ranger is skilled at scaling natural surfaces such as cliffs and mountainsides. Track: In the wilderness a Ranger is able to track a known target. Pet: A ranger that manages to capture a wild animal will sometimes be Pet able to train that animal and turn it into a loyal companion. Multiple at attacks ks: From level 4 onward a Ranger can perform multiple attacks the same way as a fighter. Save: Saves as Fighter.
Most Ranger abilities require some form of roll to be successful. See “task resolution” (p.12) in this supplement for guidelines.
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Druid* "Sage, Wiccan, Witch, Heathen, Diviner, Medium" Requires • • • • • •
• •
Wisdom of 15 or greater. Weapons: Weapons: Club, Dagger, Dart, Warhammer, Staff, Sling, Spear Armo morr: Cloth, Padded, Leather, Wood shield Wild Wil derness kkn nowledge: owledge: A Druid can identify plants and animals and their properties Immun muniity to fe feyy ch cha arm Shape shift: A Druid can shapeshift twice per day into a form defined by the level of the Druid. Pets: A Druid can charm animals and keep them as loyal pets. The Druid can keep as many pets as 1/2 of the Druids own level (starting at level 2). A Druid can not charm insects or aquatic animals. A successful wisdom check is required to charm an animal. See “task resolution” (p.12) in this supplement for guidelines. If the charm fails the animal will become enraged. Magic: A Druid is in tune with nature and can call upon it to cast Druid spells. Save: Saves as Wizard
Level of Druid 1 2 3 4 5 6 7+
Shapeshift Squirrel or Rat +Bat or Bird +Fox, Lynx, Horse or Bull +Wolf or Dog +Bear +Elephant or Rhino +Roc
* Only one Druid ever played in my campaign. If you choose to use druids in your campaign, spells must be sourced from other books. I sourced druid spells from the advanced edition.
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