IRL Gaming: OSE (Advanced) Stonehell - Preamble + Session 1; "You failed the tutorial level."

 As mentioned previously, I'm currently in a Discord-based OSE game. I've been attempting to join or run an OSR game in real life for a few months, and thanks to a DCC session that highlighted an MTG friend's player skill (despite being a 3e baby he showed the kind of cleverness and caution you'd expect from OSR play), I got him interested in OSR play. And of course, this enabled me to reach out to another friend (also an MTG player and 3e baby) and get him to agree tentatively to "try out" this weird old D&D.

Prep was somewhat of a trainwreck, as the transition from digital to physical so often is. I let Friend 2 (hereafter J) use the OSE Advanced Fantasy to roll up a character: An elf assassin. All well and good but then I realized I had Advanced Labyrinth Lord, which is a system I greatly prefer and didn't need to print anything for (I greatly enjoy physical prints of my legally-acquired PDFs). The elf assassin was legal in OSE but illegal in ALL due to her low stats (an important note to keep in mind for those debating over which system to choose), so I was forced to stick with OSE as the source for my rules booklet. There was much heming and hawing over which module to use: Stonehell was chosen but then I realized that several (!) years ago I had printed out the entirety of B1. As I reviewed B1 Sunday in slow periods during my work, I realized that I had forgotten B1 was unstocked; and so we pivoted to Stonehell once again.

Session 1

From the town or hamlet of Fouquett, three souls strode forth to brave Stonehell: Alpha (Neutral female elf assassin, 2 hp, played by J); Mil the Ominous (Neutral male human fighter, 1 hp, played by C, the aforementioned DCC enjoyer), and Zortkygar the Hooded (Chaotic male dwarf thief, 2 hp, used as a retainer). The Holmesian Random Name Generator from Zenopus provided the names and Ye Olde Fast Pack from B4 sped up equipment selection. The town has no banks, only credit unions (the excuse is it's a libertarian town) and apparently a surplus of brothels, which may require use of AD&D disease and prostitute tables in the near future.

Alpha and Zort explored the gatehouse from the exterior-facing side, while Mil calmly yelled out the location of the rubble-passage to the south. After fumbling around the canyon and admiring the ruins, the party bumbled into a small area carved into the canyon wall. The elf's sharp ears picked up the sound of something getting eaten (a fire beetle having goat for lunch), and the party wisely decided to explore another part of this 4-room area; worth noting that J said his elf would not tell the others about it, but I informed him that player knowledge and character knowledge are generally not separate in Old D&D. Past a door was a room full of mildewed and rotten crates, barrels, and sundries. Mil decided to investigate and a green slime enveloped his arm! Fortunately player knowledge saved him as they battered it with torches 1 round before it would be fatal. Unbeknownst to the party, the fire beetle had decided to scurry away while combat happened. Further exploration of the area turned up magic chalk, a secret message indicating treasure on level 2 of Stonehell, and a goat corpse.

Mil advanced further into the canyon, seeking water to cleanse his arm (I had described it as notably pale and unhealthy after the green slime encounter), and found the mystical pool and waterfall/stream. The party debating looting the metal sphere 30' down at the bottom of the pool but didn't see the logistics working: Instead they climbed to investigate the source of the water up in the canyon wall. Enticed by the silver hemisphere in the 5'deep pool/spring, the dwarf tied a rope around his waist and jumped in, taking 2 damage on a 1d2 from the magically superheated water and dying! (Room 5 of Level 0B). There was debate about whether to loot and leave the body or take it, until I pointed out it would significantly encumber them.

The now-reduced party stumbled on, entering another canyon wall dugout. The description of leaves on the floor induced some mild paranoia about traps (which goes to show that sometimes dungeon dressing is more than just dressing!) but then Alpha grabbed some rusted arrows lying around and Mil tossed a shield full of ashes around (which managed not to attract nearby monsters). They advanced farther and encountered their first real combat: A rabid racoon! They won initiative and the 1 hp critter was dispatched with the flick of a shortsword. 9' of old rope was scrounged up in the former racoon lair. Exploring to the east they discovered several empty rooms, one with a trap! A bag of sand swung down and almost struck Mil, which would have been lethal if it had struck him. Alpha grabbed the bag of sand for later use.

The party then proceeded to the unexplored western portions: They discovered a large room with an uneven ceiling, rubble-strewn floor, and rather unsafe tone. Alpha tied her 9' of rope around the bag of sand and threw it into the room, disturbing a spitting cobra that dwelt among the rubble! What proceeded was a strange waltz of failures as for 3 rounds everyone rolled misses; Alpha switched from bow to dagger once I informed J that he needed an 18 to hit due to the nature of THAC0 and Descending AC. The cobra won initiative and struck a deadly blow to Mil even without venom: J chose not to retreat but to continue fighting. Simultaneous initiative! The elf struck out at the cobra, but it was too swift and rolled a 3 on a 1d3, slaying her as well! (Room 15 of Level 0B).

Despite many missteps it proved to be enjoyable and another session is planned for next week.

The High Price of Arcane Magic in The Implied AD&D Setting (and other thoughts)

It would be quite cringe of me to not make at least one blogpost this year, so here it is. Skip down past the images for the AD&D discussion.

I'm currently playing in a 1.5+ year-old, rotating DM (not by design) OSE campaign. It's fun, but I've noticed that whenever I DM sessions the players are as paranoid as level 1s despite being the majority of the party being level 7-9 and having access to Raise Dead from two PC clerics. While I've been known to throw some meta-fucking curveballs (a lich that was a pseudo-lich; a white dragon that was an albino red dragon), the group sometimes looks for twists were there are none: Perhaps I'm too good at being unexpected.

In real life, I had an opportunity to run a DCC funnel for two MTG friends, and now sure that I have at least one potential player, I've been contemplating setting up a real life OSR table. My brain says OSE Advanced but my heart says AD&D 1e. We shall see.

Excerpted and slightly edited from the 1e DMG (Premium Edition), p. 13 & 15

Wish, the ur-spell of AD&D, ages the caster 3 years per cast. Humans can die as early as age 62, and the starting age for Human Magic-Users is 26-40. 12 Wishes (or Golems to put it in perspective), places the 26-year old human m-u in the "death by old age" zone.  Meanwhile, Elf Magic-Users with 18 Int are limited to level 11, barring some of the Dragon Magazine and/or Unearthed Arcana additions (which are not universally accepted despite how kickass an elf ranger/druid/magic-user sounds). As an aside this also resolves the "why don't clerics just revive everybody?" question: A powerful mortal servant of a god shaving 3 years off his lifespan to cast a spell that requires a system shock roll is reserved for heroes (as seen in the 1e Dragon Magazine write-up of Wee Jas).

How then, do human magic-users get around such a huge hurdle? The simplest way is to either never cast Wish or save it for emergencies. Potions of Longevity can stretch your life, but a cumulative 1% chance per potion drunk to immediately re-age is very risky. Direct divine intervention is possible but hard to get. Ultimately the best two options are lichdom or forcing monsters and items to do the work for you. 

Lichdom technically removes the downside of aging, although I would argue that the skeletal/decaying form of the Lich and later Demilich actually betrays that it does take a toll on the undead body. It's easy to see a "fresh" Lich being relatively corpse-like but not rotting until the pedal hits the floor and 10, 50, 100 Wishes put the stress of 30, 150, 300 years on the body. Maybe ol' Acererak got cozy in his Tomb of Horrors and then spammed so many Wishes that the weight of 3000+ years turned his body to dust except his skull.

The other way is by hunting down magic items, sites, substances, and artifacts that can grant Wishes, or enslaving, tricking, or forcing creatures that grant Wishes to give them to you. That means a lot of traffic with demons and devils, particularly their higher-ups. This opens up a whole other can of worms, as there's definitely an indistinct but existent line where continued dealings with Evil spirits is definitely not morally Neutral and is clearly Evil, which may draw the attention of Good to an overly ambitious magic-user.

But what does this matter for THE GAME? Well, if you establish patterns early on, you show players how they can use those patterns, in addition to creating logic for dungeons. Dozens of Golems in a dungeon means Lich or Extraplanar, likely Evil involvement somewhere, which will be borne out by more Undead or Extraplanars, respectively. It also makes things like methods of golem construction without Wish use (as it was OD&D via The Strategic Review) both a hook and something valuable in its own right.

The OGL is saved! (Or is it?)

Wizards of the Coast tapped out.

The OGL 1.0a is here to stay . . . for now, with no explicit mention of irrevocability. A minor victory for the OSR, a major victory for communities like the one around Cepheus.

The biggest winners are the 5e players and publishers with the release of the SRD 5.1 under Creative Commons. There's a bit of silliness there though, like Pelor's name and position as a sun god being freely usable, but nothing else about him (or her or it). And unfortunately, I think a lot of the good steam that had gathered around the ORC (Open RPG Compatibility License) is dissipating, to say nothing of the OpenDND movement.

But the people who signed off on the replacement of the OGL because the brand was undermonetized are still there and still in power. They still want to do all that even if they can't at the moment. Why did they fail? From a purely cutthroat perspective, because their propaganda about anyone who opposed the OGL 1.1/2.0/1.2 being a horrible *ist and *phobic CHUD didn't have enough evidence to trick customers into believing their bullshit. Clearly, they need to build up that boogieman.

You will see more of the anti-OSR pieces like PBS did. You will see "problematic" content highlighted by "random" twitter accounts. You will see people saying "dang if only we hadn't forced WOTC to remove the morality clause/release the rules under CC." You will see people talking about the "*ist problem in the D&D community." And you will see WOTC pull this again, with a sigh and a nod, saying  "well we knew this would happen but the community was so vocal, we had no choice."

Or maybe I'm just being overly pessimistic.

dungeon23: March goal

Level 3

This one felt like a slog, mostly due to individual humanoid treasure.

1 square = 10 feet

Doors are presumed to be 5 feet wide, made of wood banded with metal, and opened according to normal rules

Ceilings are 10 feet high

No light sources unless otherwise stated 

Passages with an arrow or "to parts unknown" may lead to dead ends, lairs, secret entrances/exits, or sub-levels as the referee desires. 

After being encountered the first time, "high traffic areas" have a 50% chance of a randomly determined monster(s) being present

 

3.1 West spiral staircase room

Connects to 1.21 and 2.1

There's a 1-in-6 chance every turn spent here that loud deep, croaking from the toads in 3.25 may be heard.

3.2 Strange staircase room

Connects to 2.25 and 4.2  

3.3 Gas room

This room is filled with a cloud of sweet-smelling purple gas. It has no immediate effect and does nothing while within it, but after exiting it blinds those who passed through for 1d6 turns.

 

3.4 Former bedroom

Dusty. Empty save for a make shift cot of blankets and sacks.

 

3.5  Spiked pit trap

10' deep, 3-in-6 chance to fail unless actively looking, 1d6 spike damage

 

3.6 North junction room

A strange cloud of gray smoke surrounds 3000 cp in the southeast corner. The cloud is actually 3 tweens (HD 1, 4 hp each, MV 12 or as host, AC 10, Al N; Att: by "weapon" against ethereal only; Special: can only be hit on ethereal plane, symbiosis). They will attempt to bond with the highest-hp members of the party.

Note: Fiend Folio doesn't specify the effects of multiple tweens in proximity, so I would rule that the tween-bonded cancel each other out and roll normally, while others roll two dice and take the worst result.
 

3.7 West dead end room

Empty, but engraved on the east wall is a message in huge letters: 

POWER MUST BE USED

 

3.8  West spiral staircase room

Connects to 4.3 and 5.1

3.9 Saint's room

In the west corner is a cleric clad in chainmail sitting on the floor, his head bowed and hands interlocked in prayer. Some bits of moldy food are on the ground before him. He is dead, although it is not immediately obvious and is remarkably preserved. As long as his body is left undisturbed/unlooted, chaotic creatures (including PCs) cannot enter nor attack into this room for any reason, and neutral characters may enter but can only attack inward if struck by those inside. The saint also has a iron ankh hanging from a chain around his neck (holy symbol), a mace, and a vial of holy water.

3.10 Lonely treasure room

3000 sp sit in a 6' long lead bath(?)tub that requires at least three people to lift and four to carry.

 

3.11 Lonely north rectangle room

Empty  

 

3.12 Large square room

A thoroughly rotted backpack and equally rusted dagger are at the position of "12"; there are a scattering of bones in front of the east door 

 

3.13 The Ghast-Knight's Room

In this room are many piles of bones and a ghast wielding black metal full plate and shield, both with a silver lion passant prominently displayed (HD 4, 15 hp, MV 9, AC 2, Al C; Att: 1d4 plus paralysis + 1d8 plus paralysis; Special: stench in 10' save or -2 to attacks, undead). It only wants one victim to eat, but if attack en masse it's smart enough to paralyze multiple opponents.
 

Scattered throughout the room under bone piles are 2000 ep, one large golden yellow gem (500 gp topaz), 6000 pp, a clerical scroll with Hold Person (caster level 6) and Exorcise (caster level 8) , and a wizardly scroll with Invisible Stalker (caster level 13).

 

3.14 Northeast square room

Empty   

3.15 Odd room

6 orcs (HD 1, one leader with 5 hp, others 4 hp each, MV 9, AC 6, Al C; Att: varies/see below) are camping in the northeast section, part of the the group that's also in 3.16 and 3.17 and bear the symbol of silver lion on a red field prominently. They will simply observe unless battle is joined. The leader has a whistle that only orcs and elves can hear and will use it to signal intruders to 3.16. Noise of a battle will bring 1d6 orcs from 3.16 every round. 

Treasure/Equipment:

Leader: Orcish whistle, sword, spear, 4 ep

Others: axe, polearm, 9 ep; spear, 9 ep; axe, 8 ep; sword, flail, 12 ep; and sword, spear, 8 ep

 

3.16 Far east rectangle room

17 orcs (HD 1, one leader with 8 hp, others 4 hp each, MV 9, AC 6, Al C; Att: varies/see below) are camped here, part of the the group that's also in 3.15 and 3.17 and bear the symbol of silver lion on a red field prominently. They were ordered to secure an area by "The Red Lady"on levell ??. They know of the elevator room (3.20) and will permit a party to pass through to it. They will seemingly allow a part to pass through to 3.17, but this is a feint: They are the "hammer" in a shakedown/attack plan.

Treasure/Equipment: 

Leader: Axe, crossbow, 10 bolts, 10 ep

Others: polearm, 6 ep; polearm, 3 ep; axe, polearm, 3 ep; spear, 7 ep; axe, 8 ep; sword, flail, 7 ep; sword, spear, 7 ep; axe, crossbow, 10 bolts, 10 ep; axe, bow, 10 arrows, 7 ep; sword, battleaxe, 5 ep; axe, spear, 8 ep; axe, spear, 7 ep; axe, 5 ep; and axe, polearm, 8 ep

 

3.17 Southeast square room

4 orcs (HD 1, 4 hp each, MV 9, AC 6, Al C; Att: varies/see below) are guarding this passage, part of the the group that's also in 3.15 and 3.16 and bear the symbol of silver lion on a red field prominently. Two are south of the east door and two are north of the west door. They are the "anvil" in the orcs' organization and after the party enters, the orcs in 3.16 will encircle: They desire treasure but are not averse to slaughter.

Treasure/Equipment: 

North pair: axe, polearm, 11 ep; axe, bow, 10 arrows, 10 ep

South pair: sword, flail, 9 ep; axe, polearm, 9 ep

 

3.18 Southeast rectangle room

Empty, but if the orcs of the silver-lion-on-red group allowed the party to pass they will move 4 orcs (HD 1, others 4 hp each, MV 9, AC 6, Al C; Att: varies/pick from 3.17 roster) from 3.17 to here. Equipment and treasure will be unchanged in the move.   

Space to note Treasure/Equipment: 

 

 

 

3.19 North rectangle room

3000 cp lies scattered on the floor; it will take one full turn to gather up 1000 coins. There are random teeth of man, beast, and others intermixed with the coins.

 

3.20 ELEVATOR TO HELL

The south wall of this room has a large iron panel with two copper buttons: An arrow pointing down and an arrow pointing up. Up here, the up arrow does nothing. If the down arrow is pressed, roll 1d6: 1-5 it descends that many floors without stopping at a rate of 5 ft/round; on a 6 in remains stationary. See connections, below.

On levels 4-7: If down/up are pressed, roll 1d6 and descend/ascend that many floors, if the result is greater than the number left below/above it goes the opposite direction instead.

On level 8: If the up arrow is pressed, roll 1d6: 1-5 it ascends that many floors without stopping at a rate of 5 ft/round; on a 6 in remains stationary. Down here, the down arrow does nothing.

The elevator will ascend 1 floor/day until it returns to level 3.

A number of parameters can be adjusted via 3.21

Treat those who fall from a higher floor onto the platform or into the shaft as having fallen 20 ft/floor. 

Technically this room only has one wall (the south panel wall) and no ceiling

 

Connections:

Level 4: Rooms 4.17 and 4.22

Level 5: Secret door that opens to a passage

Level 6: Secret door that opens to 6.13, room 6.38

Level 7: ???

Level 8: ??? 

3.21 Elevator control room

Within this room are a cot, chair, table, and a large brass console with three marked levers. A <> indicates the levers' current positions when first encountered. From left (farthest from the door) to right (closest), they are: 

SPD                  MOV            RST

MIN   <>          MIN              DAY <>

MED                MAX             WK

MAX                RND <>        NO

SPD is speed. MIN makes the elevator travel 5 ft/round. MED makes the elevator travel 10/ft per round and knocks passengers prone. MAX makes the elevator travel 20/ft per round. and if descending passengers are treated as though they fell 10 ft per floor, while if ascending each passenger is merely knocked prone for the duration of the movement.

MOV is movement, i.e. how the elevator moves between levels. MIN makes the elevator only descend/ascend 1 level at a time. MAX makes the elevator descend level 8 and ascend to level 1, without any stops between. RND makes the elevator's movement randomized: Roll 1d6 and descend/ascend that many floors, if the result is greater than the number left below/above it goes the opposite direction instead.

RST is for reset. DAY means the elevator will automatically ascend one floor/day until it returns to level 3. WK means the elevator will automatically ascend one floor/week until it returns to level 3. NO means the elevator will not ascend automatically at all.

 

3.22 Grand oval room

Empty  

 

3.23 Horizontal southern rectangle room

Empty 

 

3.24 Dragon's square lair

Here be an unusually large very young white dragon (HD 7, 7 hp, MV 12/30, AC 3, Al C; Att: 2 claws 1d4 each + bite  2d8; Special: breath weapon 3 times a day, damage = hp in cold damage, save for half) This dragon cannot speak or cast spells. It is 60% likely to be sleeping.

Its hoard is guarded by its pet(?) toads in 3.25. Combat with them is 25% likely to awaken it.

 

3.25 Toad abode

8 giant toads (HD 2+4, 11 hp each, MV 6+6 hop, AC 6, Al N; Att: bite 2d4; Special: can attack mid-hop) are lairing here. They are pets/snacks of the white dragon in 3.24 and combat with them is 25% likely to awaken it. Otherwise, they are vicious, hungry, and fight to the death, even chasing.

Beneath assorted toad detritus is 3000 sp in a semi-orderly stack.

 

3.26 Lonely west square room

Empty, but engraved on the west wall is a message in huge letters: 

CHANCE MUST BE SEIZED

3.27 Vertical southern rectangle room

Empty.

3.28 Drow camp

13 drow (Leader HD 3, 10 hp; rest HD 2, 9 hp each, MV 12, AC 4, Al C; Att: adamantine sword 1d8+1; 50% magic resistance, +2 to saves; leader has Nystul's Magic Aura prepared)

Their leader is a fighter/mage named Kelbyr; he and his band have been tasked by a superior to bring tribute to The Master on level ??? but they were unsure if they could tackle the white dragon in 3.24. They are not obviously hostile but won't hesitate to kill or capture a weakened or small party if the opportunity presents itself. 

Each drow has a skull-shaped buckler +1, a wickedly barbed sword +1, and red chainmail +1.  Their treasure is on their persons underneath their armor: Kelbyr has 25 pp and 3 average yellow-green gems (100 gp chrysoberyls). The rest have: 15 pp and 4 small pure black gems (50 gp onyxes); 15 pp and 4 average pearls (100 gp ea) ; 15 pp and 1 tiny mottled blue gem (10 gp azurite); 15 pp and 4 tiny pink gems with "moss" patterns (10 gp moss agates); 15 pp and 2 small orange gems (50 gp carnelians); 15 pp; 15 pp; 15 pp; 15 pp; 15 pp; 15 pp; 15 pp; and 15 pp

300 pp in an iron chest is half of the tribute, with the other stored in 3.29

3.29 Fire beetle chamber

6 fire beetles (HD 1+2, 6 hp each, MV 12, AC 4, Al N; Att: bite 2d4; Special: 3 light glands, each illuminates 10' and lasts six days after removal) lair here, and using their weird ways the drow have "tamed" them so that they will attack them. Otherwise they are territorial.

300 pp in an iron chest is hidden beneath carefully placed scraps of bone and chitin, the other half of the 3.28 drows' tribute

 

3.30 Southwest rectangle room

Empty. 

 

3.31 Hallway room

Empty. 

 

3.32 Lonely south square room

Empty.

dungeon23: February goal

Level 2

1 square = 10 feet

Doors are presumed to be 5 feet wide, made of wood banded with metal, and opened according to normal rules

Ceilings are 10 feet high

No light sources unless otherwise stated 

Passages with an arrow or "to parts unknown" may lead to dead ends, lairs, secret entrances/exits, or sub-levels as the referee desires. 

After being encountered the first time, "high traffic areas" have a 50% chance of a randomly determined monster(s) being present

 

2.1 South spiral staircase room

Connects to 1.21 and 3.1

The jermlaine in 2.4 have a 90% chance of hearing movement in/through here.

 

2.2 Fountain chamber

The faintly glowing water (no useful illumination) circulating through the central stone fountain will permanently reduce a drinker's Wis by 1d3 while giving him a permanent +1 hp. Only the first drink has an effect for any given entity.

 

2.3 3-way chamber

Empty. The jermlaine in 2.4 have a 70% chance of hearing movement in/through here.

 

2.4 Jermlaine warrens

This angled chamber is the lair of 22 foot-tall jermlaines (HD 1/2, 2 hp each, MV 15, AC 7, Al C; Att: 1d3; Special: 5-in-6 chance to surprise, 75% to remain undetected while attempting to be stealthy). Through extremely narrow crawlways (no chance for even a halfling to squeeze in), they have two warrens, a small eastern area and a larger western area (not mapped because it should be impossible for a party to enter). They are 75% likely to remain hidden and then attempt to set up woven hair triplines (4-in-6 chance to fall) once intruders have exited the chamber.

They will attempt to attack obviously weakened and wounded parties: If a battle goes south they will plead and beg for mercy, offering their "entire treasury" of 1000 cp.

In addition to the 1000 cp they may offer as a bribe, they have another 1000 cp, an apple-green gem (50 gp chrysprose) and a blue-green gem (50 gp zircon) in their eastern warrens and 500 gp, 2000 cp, a large olive-green gem (500 gp peridot), and a large violet gem (500 gp garnet) in the western warrens. 

 

2.5 North rectangle chamber

Empty 

 

2.6 Pit trap

10' deep, 3-in-6 chance to fail unless actively looking

 

2.7 Treasure chamber

A locked oaken chest contains 200 pp.

 

2.8  High traffic area

6 Orgillons (HD 2, 9 hp each, MV 12, AC 6, Al C; Att: punch 1d6+1 or by weapon +1; Special: Only speak ogre and alignment) are following the albino fire beetle at 2.9 as part of a totemic quest. They will not permit any to pass them but they have no problem with a party following them. Their treasure is: 6 gp; 4 gp; 8 gp; 8 gp; 4 gp; and 3 gp.

2.9 High traffic area

8 fire beetles (HD 1+2, 6 hp each, MV 12, AC 4, Al N; Att: bite 2d4; Special: 3 light glands, each illuminates 10' and lasts six days after removal) are currently resting here. One is an albino. If left undisturbed they will eventually pass through 2.10 and 2.11, before nesting in 2.12.

 

2.10  South strange chamber

Empty, but engraved on the south wall is a message in huge letters: 

DESIRE SETS US INTO MOTION

2.11  North strange chamber

Empty, but engraved on the north wall is a message in huge letters: 

WILL IS THE FINAL FORCE

 

2.12 Dead end chamber

Empty. 2-in-6 chance to hear activity from the mites in 2.14 

 

2.13 Hallway room

Empty.  4-in-6 chance to hear activity from the mites in 2.14 and the mites have a 5-in-6 chance to hear entry into this room

 

2.14 Former refectory

22 mites (HD 1-1, two leaders with 7 hp, rest 3 hp each, MV 9, AC 8, Al C; Att: 1d3; Special: can't [?] speak) lair amid tables, chairs, and clay pots in varying states of disrepair. They are always ready to set up an ambush using the awkward corners and furniture of the room, but can't get into perfect position if they don't hear movement in 2.13. They eat captives and prisoners. They have a hoard of 2000 sp, scattered in amongst detritus and in random pots.

 

2.15 South rectangle chamber

Empty  

2.16 Four-door Room

4 zombies (HD 2, 8 hp each, MV 6, AC 8, Al N; Att: 1d8; Special: always strike last, undead) each stand in a corner of this room, all wearing rotted leather armor and bearing rusted weapons. They will not attack those entering or exiting from the north or south doors. They will attack any who enter or exit the west or east doors. If one is attacked, they all respond in kind.

 

2.17 Gas Pocket

A cloud of opaque but harmless gas seeps up from the floor, blocking all vision through and in the indicated area

 

2.18 Trap door

Leads down to level 4

 

2.19 High traffic area

When the party first arrives there will be a party of 16 orcs (HD 1, one leader with 8 hp, others 4 hp each, MV 9, AC 6, Al N; Att: varies/see below) here. The leader is notably larger; He is Uthak, a princeling of the Gray-Eye tribe. His father, King Gray-Eye, ordered him and his brother to find an albino creature and bring it back dead or alive, with the one who brings a prize back first securing succession to the throne. Uthak has 7 gp and is armed with an axe and a polearm. He is open to alliances and will remember any good or ill done to him. The rest of the orcs' armaments and treasures are: 

3 gp, axe, polearm; 4 gp, axe, crossbow, 10 bolts; 4 gp, spear; 5 gp, axe, crossbow, 10 bolts;

6 gp, axe; 5 gp, spear; 6 gp, sword, spear; 4 gp, sword, spear;

1 gp, battleaxe, sword; 4 gp, sword, spear; and 6 gp, axe, polearm.

The orcs will eventually head south and toward 2.12 in their search.

 

2.20 Columned intersection

The black stone columns have vertical script on each of them:

D                               P                         C                          W  

E faces south            O faces east        H faces west        I faces north

S                               W                         A                          L

I                                E                          N                          L

R                              R                          C

E                                                           E

The pillars detect as evil but have no other special features.

 

2.21 Gas Pocket
A cloud of opaque but harmless gas seeps up from the floor, blocking all vision through and in the indicated area

 

2.22 The awkward room

3 Bullywug outcasts (HD 1, see below for hp, MV 3//15, two AC 6 and one AC 7 [see below], Al C; Att: varies/see below; Special: +1 to hit after hopping) are lairing here. They are Gort (5 hp, armed with a glowing sword +1 and a beautiful golden shield -1 with a lion's face), Nurk (4 hp, armed with an axe +1 of dwarven make), and the albino Hee (8 hp). They are generally unfriendly but may be recruited as hangers-on for food and 10 gp each. They are very likely to betray the party, especially if their lives are at risk. They have no other treasure.

 

2.23 The Chapel

The pillars bear the same engravings as 1.1:

D                               P                         C                          W  

E faces south            O faces east        H faces west        I faces north

S                               W                         A                          L

I                                E                          N                          L

R                              R                          C

E                                                           E

There is an empty altar here. On the north wall are four almost life-size figures carved of red stone; they are on tiered pedestals. First tier: A monkey-headed woman, centered; Second tier (1' above the first): A rabbit-head woman on the left and a bull-headed man on the right; Third tier (1' above the first): a tiger(?)-headed man, centered.

The statues, altar, and pillars all detect as evil but are otherwise inert.

 

2.24 North square room

Empty 

 

2.25 North spiral stair case room

Connects to 3.2 and 4.2

 

2.26 Dead-end rectangle

Empty   

2.27 Huge square room

Empty   

2.28 Southwest square room

Empty   

2.29 High traffic area

A generally indifferent train of 22 foot-tall jermlaines (HD 1/2, leader with 4 hp, rest 2 hp each, MV 15, AC 7, Al N; Att: 1d3; Special: 5-in-6 chance to surprise, 75% to remain undetected while attempting to be stealthy) are on their way to 2.4. Their leader, Eyes-of-gray, is a grandson of an ousted chieftain and seeks to reclaim the warrens; he is mounted on a loyal giant rat named Orc-Eater (HD 1/2, 4 hp, MV 12//6, AC 7, Al N; Att: bite 1d3+ 5% chance of disease). He is honest and is willing to part with most of the treasure in the warrens (although he will agree in ballpark figures) and/or his train's carried treasure in exchange for aid. Their treasure is 2 gems, one small and glassy blue-white (50 gp chalcedony), the other very small and striated green with dark green (10 gp malachite).

 

2.30 Norker toll route

A group of 12 Norkers (HD 1+2, 7 hp each, MV 9, AC 3, Al C; Att: bite 1d3 or club 1d6) have set up a small shakedown operation here, although there are usually (75%) 4 in this room at a time, with the other 8 in 2.33, which is also where they keep their treasure. The toll is 1 gp per person, adjusted based on if they think they can wring more out, and they will ask which door the party wishes to go through. If the eastern door is indicated, one will whistle then guffaw, a signal to the norkers in 2.33 to prepare an ambush; the others will brush off his actions as a joke.

 

2.31 Yellow-carpeted room

The "yellow carpet" that covers the floor is in fact yellow mold (on contact releases a cubic foot of deadly gas for 1d8 damage, save vs poison or die, destroyed by fire but otherwise immune to most damage).

 

2.32 Dead-end room

A humanoid skeleton with a a caved in skull is sprawled on the floor. Next to it is a message scrawled in chalk: 

I'M SORRY

HE ATTACKED ME

☥ HAVE MERCY

 

2.33 Norker lair

The norkers in 2.30 keep their treasure here: 2000 sp separated into two small sacks of 200 sp each, one large sack of 800 sp, and two average sacks of 400 sp. There are usually 8 norkers (HD 1+2, 7 hp each, MV 9, AC 3, Al C; Att: bite 1d3 or club 1d6) here at any given time. There are many more empty sacks, some used as bedding.

dungeon23 supplemental: The town(?) of Silverlion

Originally I was going to make multiple posts about the town of Silverlion as opposed to the Castle Silverlion above the dungeons, but that was far too much effort. I think that if I were to run what I have right now, I'd use a combination of Hommlet and The B2 Keep. 

The Castellan would either be Lord Silverlion himself or a subordinate. 

The chaotic (evil) ne'er-do-wells of the village would just be part of a specific demon cult rather than ToEE employees.

I like the religious tension in Hommlet but I think I'd try to work in something more reflective of the Scottish/English religious tensions - the Old Church with its rustic presbyterian structure vs the Royal or Proper Church with an appointed episcopacy. One would be in the village (probably the newcomers) and the other in the keep (the old guard). The druidics would be the major third wheel. 

I imagine tension between Lord Silverlion and village leaders, as well as with the wizard/fighter duo of T1.

Lots of potential for political intrigue.

dungeon23: "weeks" 3-4

 I have completed January's goal for my dishonest subversion of this dungeon23 thing.

A number of sprawling passages are optionally choked with rubble as avenues for future expansion.

 

15. Hint room

In the middle of the floor (where the "15" is) is an a message in chalk: An arrow pointing to the northeast corner and "THIS WAY"

 

16. Dusty room

This room has a thick layer of dust upon the floor.

 

17. Chamber of passages

Empty, but see 20

 

18. The rat nest

13 very angry giant rats (HD 1/2, 2 hp each, MV 12//6, AC 7, Al N; Att: bite 1d3+ 5% chance of disease )have made a nest here using bits fur, cloth, wood, and dead adventurers. They are territorial and attack on sight.

 

19. Room of Ruses

A magic mouth on the ceiling activates when the door is opened: "WELCOME ADVENTURERS! TWO DOORS LIE BEFORE YOU, ONE GUARDS WEALTH AND THE OTHER GUARDS DEATH! CHOOSE WISELY!"

The two "doors" are immobile, solid iron facsimiles with thin wooden paneling

Has a thick layer of dust upon the floor.

 

20. High traffic area

Due to its proximity to the only accessible passage from level 1 to level 3, there's a 50% of wandering monsters at this location.

 

21. Spiral Staircase Room

The spiral staircase here descends to room 2.1 and from there to 3.1

 

22. Trap door and stairs

Beneath this wooden trap door are 5-ft wide stairs that descend to level 2

 

23. Rats' hoard?

1000 sp lay in a neat pile at the location of the "23," covered in rat droppings and corpses

 

24. Rats' neighbor

Empty save for some old blood stains

 

25. Octagonal chamber

Empty

 

26. Horizontal Rectangle Room

Empty, has a thick layer of dust upon the floor.

 

27. Vertical Rectangle Room

Empty, has a thick layer of dust upon the floor.

 

28. Pit Trap!

Most of this corridor is dominated by a 10' deep pit, 3-in-6 chance to fail unless actively looking

 

29. Gas Pocket

A cloud of opaque but harmless gas blocks all vision through and in the area of the  "29"

 

30. Hexagonal Chamber

Empty

 

31. Secret Room

Empty with a thick layer of dust upon the floor., but because of its remoteness acts as a safe place to rest in the dungeon.

Are we in the midst of an Old School Reformation?

Although some still hold out hope (or cope) that OGL 1.1 will not render OGL 1.0a unusable, it's already causing a stir in the OSR scene. There's talk of abandoning the SRD and OGL entirely and moving to Creative Commons, because, as James Mishler says on his blog, "Even if they don't follow through now, there is no knowing if they might try to follow through later."

Chris Gonnerman, author of Basic Fantasy RPG, has announced his intention to remove SRD text from the game and work has already started.

Tenkar likewise announced his intent to de-SRD Continual Light.

James Mishler is bowing out the OGL business but hinted at Daniel Proctor looking at non-OGL avenues. 

As for myself, I'm finishing up a shoddy but playable product that been moldering on my hard drive for a couple of years. My OGL products until WOTC decides to C&D me or a viable system suitable for conversion presents itself. Regardless, I think we're in the midst of a watershed moment for the OSR.

The Doom That Came To OGL, or The Dagger At The Throat Of OSR

I'd read about the new leaked Open Game License 1.1 from WOTC for D&DOne on Bat in the Attic but the discussion surrounding it has recently exploded as non-publishers and the legally-inclined start to notice it.

Is the OGL 1.0 getting revoked?

We have no idea until WOTC tells us. It should be noted that there was a change in OGL from 3rd edition to 3.5 edition that added in more product identity and tightened the legalese (that's why you can find beholder or mind flayers in very early OGL stuff); after the update, such content was "grandfathered in" but there was no option to continue use the older license. It should be noted that the first OGL was issued as a "test model" and an olive branch to creators burned by interactions with Lorraine Williams' T$R. When WOTC introduced the GSL for 4e, they did not attempt to revoke or alter the OGL. With 5e and the Dungeon Master's Guild, WOTC began a big push to devalue the OGL. Thus, at the moment, if WOTC were to revoke the license, all current content would be "grandfathered in" but no new content could be made under OGL 1.0

How does this affect publishers?

An added notice that the license can be revoked for badwrongthink has its most obvious bullseyes in James Desborough, Venger, Raggi, and the Skrotched 'Urf studio, but consider this: If there's a female slave or noncombatant in a module, is that misogyny? If a tomboyish lass or sensitive lad are ostracized from the village for their ways but are otherwise presented as potentially helpful NPCs, is that transphobic? Some of the most vocal anti-discrimination advocates argue that showing discrimination empowers and supports it, a position that got noted liberal writer and artist Howard Chaykin into hot water a few years ago. Semantics are a game with few winners.

There's another clause about how if you make $X in a year you must pay your tithes to WOTC, which I doubt affects the OSR publishers much but is a tremendous deterrent to anyone in 5e publishing at the moment. Most retroclones are free, with their profits in 1st party splats or POD products. This can be potentially disastrous to print-at-cost retroclones like BFRPG if POD is classifed as revenue by WOTC.

How does this affect others?

Production of new OGL content will exhibit unusual and variable waves, as publishers either panic and try to rush out anything almost complete to make $ before the hammer drops or slow down and wait for things to shake out. A glut of shit and a drought of quality.

Publishing without the OGL

I refuse to count Lamentations of The Flame Princess as OSR because of its mechanical and tonal breaks from TSR D&D, but it's the canary in the coal mine for me because:

1. it has "problematic content"

2. the grindhouse version was published under OGL but the current version isn't

3. it's very obviously B/X -derived

4. it's a "brand name" 

5. it is/was profitable

If WOTC doesn't sue Raggi then I'd wager the door is open for non-OGL retroclone. The caveat here is that LotFP doesn't have a bestiary, which is where WOTC claims most of its product identity. Sine Nomine also has a slew of profitable B/X-based games.

What should I do?

Download or buy all OGL content you've had wishlisted. Pirate or buy secondhand TSR D&D (WOTC doesn't deserve your money). Finish that content that's almost done or put it in the freezer. And wait. And fight on! 

dungeon23 "week 2"

I continue to make a mockery of this thing by going against the spirit of it. I can't tell if this is bad or speaks to naviete of those behind it. Perhaps it's more about motivation than action?

7 rooms have been added to represent the days of 1/8-1/14. As I suspected, the dungeon generator from The Strategic Review definitely seems to favor clusters of rooms more akin to B2 that the DMG's mazes of corridors. As Gygax himself advised, liberties were taken with some room shapes.

1 square = 10 feet

Doors are presumed to be 5 feet wide, made of wood banded with metal, and opened according to normal rules

Ceilings are 10 feet high

No light sources unless otherwise stated

8. Room of doors

Each of the doors has an iron plaque with a word engraved on it, reminiscent of the pillars in room 1.

The east door (most likely the party's egress) has POWER; north has WILL; west has CHANCE; and south has DESIRE.

9. Crooked room

In the southwest corner in front of the door is a person-shaped pile of mold on the floor and upon the door itself is a crude carving that says LIBERA TE TUTEMET EX INFERIS

10. Lonely room

Empty

11. Spear trap

This masterwork of a trap is easy to avoid activating but hard to figure out. An entire 10-ft square of the passage acts as the pressure plate, with the spear in the middle. Those moving faster or slower than the normal movement rates can trigger the trap but not be struck by the spear, while those moving at normal rates risk a random spear strike. Once deployed, it takes a full round for the trap to withdraw and another to reset to readiness. Those struck are damage as though hit by a spear (no save).

 

12. Triangle room

Empty

13. Squished room

Empty

14. Bas-relief room

This room contains eight reliefs that tell a story. It starts on the south wall to the left of the door and proceeds clockwise. The scenes are as follows:

1. A younger man and an older man stand near a castle on a hill that overlooks a town. The younger man looks to the west.

2. The young man, now armed and armored along other soldiers with ankhs on their livery fight knights bearing eyes, severed hands, and/or fiery serpents on their livery

3. The young man, new disheveled, in a dungeon or torture chamber with banners of fiery serpents hanging from the wall. Fellow prisoners are depicted being sacrificed or cannibalized

4. The young man stands over the bodies of fiery serpent knights, holding a bloody sword and apparently eating

5. The man, no longer young, returns to the castle on the hill. The old man is older, bent and supported by cane, but greets him joyfully.

6. The man stands before a tombstone. The castle looms in the background.

7. The man is in a dungeon or torture chamber. Men with whips direct labor gangs of both men and monsters, some digging, some building.

8. The man kneels in a temple or church. Upon the altar is a black triangle.

dungeon23 supplemental: A brief sketch of Castle Silverlion and its sordid history

As mentioned in my first d23 post, the entrance to the dungeon leads to the lower works of Castle Silverlion. The Castle has been a vague notion I've had for a while, as Gygax exhorts (or mayhaps implores?) the DM in the DMG Appendix A to generate the upper works above the dungeon, something he often didn't do and which his successors have largely abandoned.

Castle Silverlion is the former ancestral abode of the Silverlion family, petty nobility whom claim varying authority and rights from the Free City of Silverlion. It stands on a hill overlooking the city. 

The Upper Works have fallen into ruin and rot one is hard-pressed to argue have any natural cause, overgrown with moss and often strangely fog-choked even on clear days. There is no real treasure here, and despite some overgrown vermin, the main threat is some groups of greedy villagers, bandits, and/or brigands waiting to jump exiting adventurers.

The Lower Works are in much better shape than above, and there are more vermin and less knaves. It is also long-since looted and quite mundane, with typical storage, bunk, and gaol/jail rooms. Toward the far north end is trap door, a mighty square of black iron the feels cool on hot days and warm on cold days, with two handle-rings. It requires a combined strength of 20 to lift up fully from above or push up from below and leads to room 1 of the dungeon.

There is another entrance, a shaft on the hill below the Castle called "Matilde's Folly" that leads to a lower level (3?) and at least one other rumored secret entrance.

Brief history of Castle Silverlion and Silverlion Family

~250 years ago: Henri Elf-blood is created Lord of the Manor by King Njall III for his service on the borderlands. He adopts a silver lion passant on a blue field as his coat of arms, and a town of uncertain name is rechristened "Silverlion's Town"

~230 years ago: Castle Silverlion's Upper and Lower Works are completed and remain largely unchanged for almost a century.

~180 years ago: Rivalry between brothers sees Claude Silverlion abandon the Castle and town (by now simply called "Silverlion"), leaving his brother Pierre Silverlion as the unquestioned authority of the locale

~130 years ago: Sole heir Luc Silverlion answers the call by many churches for a Lawful crusade into the Chaotic realms of the west.

~125 years ago: Luc returns home, his quiet and thoughtful demeanor turned aloof and cold. Pierre, already in bad health, dies a few month later.

~124-120 years ago: Luc becomes withdrawn. Slaves, both human and other, are brought in to perform mysterious labor in the castle. The villagers are worried but otherwise hands off, as Luc requests very little labor from them and channels much of his tax rights back into food and raw materials. Most family servants leave or are dismissed

~119-118 years ago: After two years without sight or sound of Luc or any of his remianing servants, the mayor and other local grandees reach out to Claude's branch of the family.

~117 years ago: Jean-Claude Silverlion, a man of staunch piety and healthy superstition, arrives with his wife and child. He assembles a posse to investigate the abandoned Castle, and upon venturing beneath the black iron trapdoor and seeing the pillars below, tells his men to grab all valuables they can carry and flee to town. He warns the village that there is something Evil beneath the Castle and to avoid it. He and his family relocate to a manor in town.

~100 years ago: The Castle begins to rapidly, and almost supernaturally, fall into disrepair. An unexplainable fog often shrouds it.

~50 years ago: Headstrong and independently wealthy from past expeditions in the borderlands, Matilde Silverlion and various mercenaries begin excavating a shaft on the side of the hill for not-understood reasons. After local miners refused to continue due to strange illness, foreign laborers and slaves were brought in. She and her party spoke of  discovering a structure beneath and mounted an expedition but never returned.

dungeon23 week 1: Nothing good will come of this

I'm jumping on the dungeon23 bandwagon, although it is doubtful I'll stay on it long. I feel the format will lead to a lot of overdone setpiece funhouses.

Tools:

"Solo Dungeon Adventures" from The Strategic Review - a prototype of the 1e DMG Appendix A. So far seems to generate room clusters as opposed to 1e's corridor webs

Monster Tables from Fiend Folio - to add a bit of weirdness to the vanilla

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition Dungeon Master's Guide

Dice

Pencil

Notebooks (2)

Imagination

2 hours (not counting the time writing this post)

1 square = 10 feet

Doors are presumed to be 5 feet wide, made of wood banded with metal, and opened according to normal rules

Ceilings are 10 feet high

No light sources unless otherwise stated

 

1. Entrance

Stairs lead up to the lower works of Castle Silverlion. The black stone pillars have vertical script on each of them:

D                               P                         C                          W  

E faces south            O faces east        H faces west        I faces north

S                               W                         A                          L

I                                E                          N                          L

R                              R                          C

E                                                           E

The pillars detect as evil but have no other special features.

 

2. Room of Secret Doors

Otherwise empty.

3. Piles and Parasite

There's a messy pile of 1000 sp in the center of the room, along with a (probably) human skeleton. Closer examination: The skeleton's skull has scratches/gouges on top and its fingers are dulled/cracked/split. Hidden within the pile is a Cerebral Parasite if the party has psionics or a Vital Parasite otherwise. It will take four people a full turn to gather all the SP and there is a cumulative 10% chance per round that a random person gathering the coinage will be infected.

Cerebral Parasites drain psionic power points when the host uses psionic powers and can only be removed via Cure Disease. cf.  Monster Manual 1e p 14

Vital Parasites are similar but drain vital energy, reducing all healing by 1. This means that a host using RAW recovery rules regains no hp. A Cure Disease destroys the parasite.

4. Empty

Unidentifiable scraps of fabric and some bones.

5. Empty

But cramped.

6. Secretary Room
The remains of a brittle skeleton with a rusted manacle shackled to totally rotted and collapsed desk/table

-edit-

7. Hidden Hexagonal Room

This room is filled with various (harmless fungi) but there is a Shrieker (HD 3, 8hp, MV 1, AC 7, Al N; light with 30' or movement within 10' causes shrieking, 50% chance of additional encounter per turn) in a clump of foot-tall fungi at the approximate spot of the "7"

What I would like to run

 It's been a while. I've been through some exciting stuff since I last posted. The woman I though loved me and my money turned out just to love my money, my family has gone from wanting me to get a job and move out to not get a job and stay, I quit work twice, and my dog is dying of cancer. I probably should euthanize him but he's fighting; I'd rather respect his struggles and help him against the inevitable. Of course, once he dies (which should only be a few more months now), I have no real reason to live with my family anymore so I plan on becoming a drifter/homeless. 

So, if I were not about to become an American Nomad, I would start an open table D&D game at my LGS.

· The ruleset would be either Holmes or Moldvay Basic D&D. Retroclones may be easier to access and "readable" but from an advert perspective, any version of D&D is going to draw more interest than a knock-off of Old D&D.

· The setting would be built around B2 and Geoff McKinney's Mikeverse (Mike's Dungeons, Mike's Dungeons: The Deep Levels, Mike's Wilderness: The Forsaken Wilderness Beyond).

· About 6 1st-level pregens (for dungeons) and 6 5th-level pregens (for wilderness) who would be reserved for drop-in/new/first-timer players. New ones would be created as the pregens get killed off or level up.

· Taking a page from Mutants & Magic, both characters and players gain XP, although this is tracked separately. This rewards people who tend to drop in a lot but want to make their own characters later. 

I'm seriously considering running even with my gloomy future looming. At least it'd kill some time, right?

What I did for Gygax Day: B1 Stocking Notes

July 27th is recognized as Gygax Day in some circles so I figured I'd run a session of D&D using B1 to celebrate. It just took me a while to get around to writing a post about it.

The deadliest encounter of the session

Stocking the Dungeon: Instead of the normal B1 lists I used the 1e DMG and Fiend Folio, checking for room contents while altering and ignoring results that seemed whack. The stocking process took me about 4 non-continuous hours. The results are found below:

1. 1 Bullywug with a sword

Notes: The deadliest encounter of the whole night, the high AC + surprise chance + hopping is a lot stronger than you would think

 

3. 8 Giant rats

 

4. 1 Cerebral Parasite

Notes: Since there were no psionic chracters in the party, the parasite would have drained 1 point of Charisma per turn if it had been encountered.

 

7. 1 Anhkeg

Silver ring with 6 opals worth 6000 gp

825 gp

Notes: The DMG has a fairly robust jewelry generator, the only problem is that its separated into three or four section fair from each other.

 

9. 1000 cp

 

10. 100 pp

 

12. 3 Bullywugs

2 aquamarines worth 550 gp each

1100cp

13. 5 kobolds

1100 cp

825 sp

14. 4 fire beetles

20. 250 gp

26. 750 cp

28. 1 Tween

Notes: Fiend Folio is based.

30. 250 gp

31. 1000 sp

32. 1000 sp

36. 3 Troglodytes

275 gp

825 ep

Notes: A randomly generated encounter supported by the pre-written rumor table? More likely than you think.

38. 500 gp

39. 3 Gnolls

42. 2000 sp

46. 4 giant centipedes

47. 2000 cp

48. 1 Forlarren

49. 2 giant frogs

53. 4 volts

Notes: I could not see this encounter ending any way other than a TPK.

 

55. 200 pp

Here ends my key for B1 - In Search of The Unknown

 

The party ended up TPKing after 3 real life hours/55 in-game minutes.

 

Writing an OSR(?) game from memory, The End: Admitting defeat and post-mortem

I'm throwing in the towel here. Not the first time (nor the last) for me, but at least this time I can articulate my reasons.
1. The muse has left me.
2. I work full-time.
3. Because of my self-imposed don't "reference any material" handicap I have a lot of stuff I want to read that I couldn't.

That said, I think this challenge works best for those with a lot of free time or still quarantine. And even with my failure, I did learn what parts of the rules I need to brush up on.

Time for analysis. 

Part 1

Despite my intent to channel LBB, it looks like most of my ability score mechanics are based on Labyrinth Lord. The exception is Dex which is exactly as the LBB. The HP modifiers for Con are a little different (perhaps, the LBB are ambiguous). My XP modifier curve is somewhere between that of the LBB (+/- 10-20%) and LL (+/- 5-10%). The loyalty numbers would later cause some issues.

My alignment chart is based on the LBB's, even down to underlined creatures being chaotic or neutral. Halflings were made Neutral/Lawful because I wanted to fill the "small underground guy" niche for all three alignments (which Gygax made no effort to do, looking over the LBB). Orcs and Ogres being Chaotic/Neutral is one of my favorite parts of the LBB since it justifies a non-confrontational approach with them. Cavemen being Lawful are because of an old idea of them being the Lawful equivalent of the modern Orc - loyal to their alignment but brutal and not very bright. The Judicator is my off-brand version of the Justicar. The Balor replaces the Balrog. Dragons appear in all three columns because I had planned on adding a Neutral breed: Probably a half-remembered version of the Cloud or new versions of Brown or Gray.

Part 2

My Dwarves getting to advance up to level 7 as fighters is 1 level more than permitted by the LBB. Dwarf clerics and Gnome M-Us are consciously backported AD&Disms. The Gnomes are a little different here because they're based on the LBB versions (hill-dwelling Dwarves).

To quote EGG: "Zounds!" I totally screwed up the F-M/M-U ratios of Elf level limits. The Anti-cleric being available to them is inspired by Three Hearts & Three Lions, Morrowind, and Warhammer's Dark Elves.

I gave Halflings 2 fighter levels over the LBB max. The Shaman is just because the other two races have a divine option so why not hobbits?

Although I got the XP requirements for 2nd level right, my fighter advances much faster, reaching level 9 at 16000 xp as opposed to the LBB's 24000 xp. I also cap HD at 9+6 (another LLism) whereas the a 12th-level Lord in LBB has 11+1 HD. My THAC0 progression is oddly sluggish. Saves are a lot harsher than both LBB and LL.

My M-Us progress almost half as fast for levels 2-3 then suddenly rush forward compared to the LBB. I seem to have been inspired by a mix of LL and 3e for the numbers of spells, although mine gives more than either. Saves and THAC0 are wrong (again).

Clerics (and their variants) all progress slower than their LBB counterparts. The Shaman exists because I like the concept of Neutral nature clerics but loath D&D Druids ever since I started with 3e.

The spell progression is mostly the same as LBB and LL but I hand out more spells, including a 6th-level  one. Saves and THAC0 are wrong (again). My turning tables combine my recurring problem of slower initial growth followed by runaway inflation.

Part 3

I somehow got the price of daggers dead-on for both LL and LBB. The special abilities of axes, daggers, and spears (treated as polearms) are from the LBB. The leather-chain-plate model is from the LBB. I can't believe I forgot the costs for armor.

Part 4

The four categories of encumbrance/movement is from LL and 2e. The monster spotting rules for encounters are hazily lifted from 1e. The reaction tables are either my own homebrew or taken from some anonymous homebrew. The structure of combat rounds is from LL. Now, morale/loyalty is a funny story: When I wrote the loyalty numbers in Part 1 I wasn't really thinking clearly so I gave out numbers which exceed LBB/B/X/1e morale but fit perfectly with 2e morale. Why? I don't know.

Writing an OSR(?) game from memory, Part 4: Encumbrance, exploration, encounters, combat, morale

This is a lot harder than I thought it would be and, as usual, I'm losing interest. Perhaps I shall make one last valiant effort to complete the Men & Magic portion of the rules.

Encumbrance

Encumbrance represents the effect of weight carried. In general, the starting tools, sundries, and worn armor carried into the dungeon or wilderness are not weighed and tallied but weapons, additional armor, and any items acquired during expeditions ARE tallied.

Weights cause characters to move more slowly: For characters wearing armor, use the worst of the two movement values below (for example, a character wearing plate but carrying less than 50 lbs has a combat speed of 30')
Weight Carried | Combat Speed | Exploration Speed
less than 50 lbs | 40' | 120'
50-100 lbs | 30' | 90'
101-150 lbs | 20' | 60'
151-200 lbs | 10' | 30'
more than 200 lb* | 5' | 15'
*The referee may rule that certain weights or unwieldy masses allow no movement whatsoever.

Encounters & Exploration

Time is the essential factor of the game. The referee should obtain a calendar of some sort to track days, weeks, and months accurately. Smaller, but no less important, units of time include the round (1 minute) and the turn (10 minutes). Rounds are mostly used to track time in combat while turns are used to track exploration. It is assumed that a party will move as fast as its slowest member in order to maintain formation and defense; if a full retreat is being enacted then no such compulsion exists.

Encounters (Wandering Monsters)
For every two turns spent exploring, there is a 1-in-6 chance that a random encounter will occur. These encounters may be native monsters, invaders, or other adventurers. The monster will be up to 2d6x10 feet away in dungeons or yards in the wilderness; randomly determine its point of entry, ignoring illogical routes such as the empty room the party just left. Note that more encounters can occur during combats due to either third parties or reinforcements.

Surprise
If the party does not have lights in the dungeon or is in the wilderness during active hours, both sides have a 2-in-6 chance of being surprised.
If the party does have lights  in the dungeon or is in the wilderness during resting hours, the encounter only has a 1-in-6 chance to be surprised while the party has the normal 2-in-6 chance of being surprised.
The referee may rule that particularly large, reckless, or conspicuous groups have no chance of surprising opponents. Surprised opponents are essentially helpless for one round. Note that some enemies will have reduced or increased chances of being surprised based on other factors: If the Knights of The Fang know the party is the west wing of Castle Carmine, they only have a 1-in-6 chance of being surprised upon finding the party; if the know the party is trapped in the Anti-Temple, the Knights will not be surprised; and if the party some manages to out with the Knights and encounters the neophytes performing cursory duties in the East Wing they have a 3-in-6 chance of being surprised.

Reactions
Not all encounters, even those between Lawfuls and Chaotics, need be combat. In some cases, a reaction will be obvious; Retainers of the Baronet who sponsors the party should have no reason to attack unless they or the party are traitors; Hobgoblins have no reason to be friendly and every reason to attack a party who has penetrated their warrens. When the referee has no strong idea of how an encountered character will react, he should roll below, applying the reaction modifier of the party member with the highest Charisma (unless the party wishes to nominate someone else as their "face").

2d6 | Reaction | Possible Actions
2-3| Hostile | Attack, offer horrible deal
4-5| Unfriendly | Insult, draw weapons, offer bad deal
6-7| Indifferent | Ignore, offer normal deal
8-9 | Unsure | Observe, retreat, hide
10-11| Friendly | Non-combat aid, offer good deal
12| Helpful | Combat aid, offer great deal

The referee may wish to make adjustments to the reaction roll based on biases: An anti-cleric may not immediately attack a cleric but it will sour his demeanor, while a judicator may put a whole party to the sword due the presence of an anti-cleric.

Combat

Combat Structure
Combat is joined when the party attacks or is attacked. The order of combat is as follows:
S1. Determine surprise
S2. Unsurprised sides declare actions
S2a. Roll initiative (1d6) for each unsurprised side if there are multiple; the highest scoring side acts first
S3. Unsurprised movement occurs
S4. Unsurprised ranged attacks occur
S5. Unsurprised spells occur
S6. Unsurprised melee attacks occur
S7. Once all unsurprised sides have acted, normal combat begins
1. All sides declare actions
2. Roll initiative (1d6) for each side; the highest scoring side acts first
3. Movement occurs
4. Ranged attacks occur
5. Spells occur
6. Melee attacks occur
7. Repeat until slaughter, surrender, ceasefire, or retreat

Morale & Loyalty
Even among monsters, few will fight to the death. Monsters have morale while henchmen have loyalty: Both are fundamentally the same.
Monsters check morale when 30% or more of their group are dead or if they only have 30% or less hp remaining; they will flee if possible or surrender if unable.
Henchmen check loyalty when 30% or more of their party are dead, if they only have 30% or less hp remaining, or if their leader is reduced to 25% or less hp; they will flee if possible or surrender if unable. Henchmen automatically fall loyalty checks if their leader dies.
To check morale or loyalty, roll 2d10: If the result is equal or lower then the character acts normally.
As always, the referee may modify morale scores to reflect circumstances: A group who knows there is no escape and that they will be killed even if they surrender is likely to fight to the last.

Writing an OSR(?) game from memory, Part 3: Equipment

A much shorter post this time. I'll probably break spells into two posts.

Equipment

Characters start with 3d6x10 gold pieces (gp). 10 gp weigh 1 lb.
1 gold piece = 10 silver pieces (sp) = 100 copper pieces (cp)

Melee Weapons
Weapon | Cost | Weight |Special
Axe  | 10 gp | 8 lb | Can be thrown up to 10'
Club | 2 gp | 6 lb | Made of wood
Dagger | 3 gp | 1 lb | Can be thrown up to 10', easily concealed, short reach
Greatsword | 20 gp | 15 lb | +2 damage, must be wielded with both hands
Mace | 8 gp | 8 lb | -
Spear | 9 gp | 8 lb | Double damage if hitting a charging target, can be used to attack from the second rank
Staff | 2 gp | 5 lb | Made of wood
Sword | 8 gp | 7 lb | -

Ranged Weapons
Weapon | Cost | Weight | Range | Special
Bow | 10 gp | 7 lb | 100' | Requires two hands to nock and shoot
-10 arrows | 1 gp | 1 lb
Crossbow | 15 gp | 12 lb  | 50' | +2 to damage, takes one round to reload
-10 bolts | 1 gp | 1 lb
Sling | 5 sp | 0.5 lb | 50' | Can be "fired" with one hand
-10 stones | 1sp* | 0.5 lb
*Cost to hire someone else to find stones. A character may instead spend 1 turn searching for stones, which will find 1d4-1 (0-3) usable stones.

Armor
Armor type | AC | Weight | Movement
None | 9 | - | 40' per round / 120' per turn
Leather | 7 | 10 lb | 40' per round / 120' per turn
Chain | 5 | 25 lb | 30' per round / 90' per turn
Plate | 3 | 60 lb | 30' per round / 90' per turn
Shield | * | 5 lb | - |  -
*Shields improve AC by 1 point; no armor + shield = AC 8, leather + shield = AC 6, etc.

Other equipment and tools
Item | Cost | Weight | Notes
Backpack | 5 gp | 2 lb | Can hold about 40 lb/400 coins Candle | 1 cp | - | Illuminates 10' radius, 5-in-6 chance to be blown out by strong wind, etc.
Hammer | 1 sp | 1 lb | -2 to hit and damage
Holy symbol | 1 sp | 0.5 lb | Used by clerics, shamans, and anti-clerics
Holy water | 10 gp | 0.5 lb | Deals 2d6 to undead and demons, delays onset of regular diseases for 1d6 days and supernatural diseases for 1d6 turns Iron spike | 1 sp | 1 lb | -2 to hit and damage
Lantern | 1 gp | 2 lb | Illuminates 30' radius, 1-in-6  chance to be blown out by strong wind, etc.
Manacles | 10 gp | 5 lb | Includes keyPole, 10' | | 10 lb | Can be used as a weapon with -2 to hit and damage
Rations, iron | 3 sp | 2 lb | Enough cured food to last 1 day, 1-in-6 chance to distract intelligent monsters if dropped
Rations, trail | 3 sp| 2 lb | Enough fresh food to last 1 day, 1-in-6 chance to distract unintelligent monsters if dropped
Rope, 50'  | 1 gp | - | Can hold up to 300 lb if properly secured
Sack, large | 1 gp | 1 lb | Can hold about 20 lb/200 coins
Sack, small | 2 sp | 0.5 lb | Can hold about 10 lb/100 coins
Torch | 1 sp | 1 lb | Illuminates 30' radius, 3-in-6 chance  to be blown out by strong wind, etc.
Wheelbarrow | 10 gp | 20 lb | Can hold about 200 lb/2000 coins, requires two hands to push

Writing an OSR(?) game from memory, Part 2: Races, classes

The project continues. Aplogies for the terrible blogger formatting. I'm noticing this is a bit stream-of-consciousness. I can't really remember the specifics of XP, saves, and spell tables so expect a lot of discrepancies to pop up.

Races:
Races are somewhat akin to species. Races are broadly categorized into humans (us), demi-humans (dwarves, elves, gnomes, halflings), and humanoids (goblins, hobgoblins, kobolds, orcs)

Man
Men (and women) are typical examples of humankind.

Racial languages: Common
Extra languages: Dragon, dwarven, elven, goblin, kobold, giant, orcish, sylvan
Powers: None
Typical alignment: Neutral (with notable outliers)
Classes & level limits: All classes, no level limits

Dwarf/Gnome
Short, human-like creatures with great beards (for males) or great manes (for females). Dwarves are stocky, live in mountains, and hate goblins; gnomes are thin , live in hills, and hate kobolds.

Racial languages: Dwarven and common
Extra languages: Giant, goblin, kobold
Powers: Infravision 30' range (they can see in grayscale but only in total darkness), 1-in-6 chance of automatically detecting hidden stonework features, dips, rises, or other details in rock, +1 to hit and damage against goblins (dwarves)/kobolds (gnomes).
Typical alignment: Lawful
Classes & level limits: Fighting-man 7; cleric 5 (dwarves only); magic-user 5 (gnomes only)

Elf
Lithe, human-like creatures with pointed ears. Elves usually live in or near forests.

Racial languages: Elven and common
Extra languages: Orcish, sylvan
Powers: Infravision 30' range (they can see in grayscale but only in total darkness), 1-in-6 chance of automatically detecting hidden doors or other entrances, may advance as both fighting-men AND magic-users simultaneously, allotting XP earned to one class per session, using the best values for HAC0, saves, and total hit dice. Elf fighting-men/magic-users may use any weapons but not shields or plate armor. 
Typical alignment: Chaotic with Neutral minority
Classes & level limits: Fighting-man 8; magic-user 6; anti-cleric 7

Halfling
Halflings are about 3-1/2' tall human-like creatures with hairy/furry hands and feet. The possess keen eyesight.

Racial languages: Common
Extra languages: Goblin, kobold
Powers: Infravision 30' range (they can see in grayscale but only in total darkness), +1 to hit and damage with ranged weapons.
Typical alignment: Neutral with Lawful minority
Classes & level limits: Fighting-man 6; shaman 5

Classes:
Explanation of some terms:
] Level: Relative measure of power.
] Hit dice: Abbreviated HD, the number of six-sided dice rolled to generate hit points (hp). Pluses are added and minuses are subtracted but a minimum of 1 hp is gained per each hit die.
] XP needed: Experience required to obtain this level.
] HAC0: The unmodified roll needed to Hit Armor Class (AC) 0 (zero). To hit AC 9 subtract 9, to hit AC -9 add 9, etc.
] Save vs. _____: Roll 1d20 against certain effects or at referee's discretion, if the number equals or exceeds this number then the effect will either be lessened or negated.
] Spells per day: The maximum number of spells that can be stored for use within the caster's mind.

Fighting-man
Fighting-men (and fighting-women, fighting-elves, etc.) are masters of martial arts. They can use any weapon or armor.

Level | Hit Dice | XP needed | HAC0 | Save vs death | poison/paralysis | breath | spell | wand
1   | 1 | 0 | 19 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 16| 14
2   | 2 | 2000 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 14
3   | 3 | 4000 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 14
4   | 4 | 6000 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 14
5   | 5 | 8000 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 13
6   | 6 | 10000 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 13
7   | 7 | 12000 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 13
8   | 8 | 14000 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 12
9   | 9 | 16000 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 12
10 | 9+2 | 18000 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 12
11 | 9+4 | 20000 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 11
12 | 9+6 | 22000 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 12 | 11

 
Magic-User
The magic-user uses esoteric knowledge to cast spells. A magic-user starts with a spellbook containing 1 randomly determined spell (see the Spells section for details), a gift from his master(s). =EDIT= Magic-users may only use daggers, staves, and slings and may not wear any armor.        

Level | Hit Dice | XP needed | HAC0 | Save vs death | poison/paralysis | breath | spell | wand
1  | 1 | 0 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 14| 12
2  | 2 | 4000 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 12
3  | 2 | 6000 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 12
4  | 3 | 8000 | 19 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 11
5  | 4 | 10000 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 11
6  | 5 | 12000 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 11
7  | 5 | 14000 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 10
8  | 6 | 16000 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 10
9  | 7 | 18000 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 10
10 | 8 | 20000 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 9
11 | 8 | 22000 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 9
12 | 9 | 24000 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 8

Magic-user spells per day
Character level | # of 1st-level spells | # 2nd | # 3rd | # 4th | # 5th | # 6th
1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - |
2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - |
3 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
4 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - |
5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - |
6 | 5 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - |
7 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | - | - |
8 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 | - | - |
9 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | - |
10 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 | - |
11 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1
12  | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2

Cleric/Shaman/Anti-cleric
The servants of the gods, most obvious soldiers in the Cosmic Struggle.

Clerics are Lawful. Their holy symbols are the ankh or sun. They cannot use bladed or piercing weapons. If they cast reversed spells they have a 30% chance of their god(s) taking away their spellcasting abilities for 1d6 days. They have the power to turn (repel) or destroy undead.

Shamans are Neutral. Their holy symbols (carved from bone or wood) are animals, plants, and elements. They may only use weapons and armor made from "living" materials (leather, wood, bone, etc.). They may cast reversed and unreversed spells freely.

Anti-Clerics are Chaotic. Their holy symbols are the skull, inhuman eye, or savage maw. They cannot use bladed or piercing weapons. If they cast unreversed spells they have a 30% chance of their god(s) taking away their spellcasting abilities for 1d6 days. Anti-clerics who obviously display their allegiance will never receive a "hostile" reaction from Chaotic creatures or a "helpful" reaction from Lawful creatures (this does not allow them to act without consequence).

Level | Hit Dice | XP needed | HAC0 | Save vs death | poison/paralysis | breath | spell | wand
1     | 1 | 0        | 20 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15| 13
2     | 2 | 3000  | 19 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 13
3     | 2 | 5000  | 19 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 13
4     | 3 | 7000  | 18 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 12
5     | 4 | 9000  | 17 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 12
6     | 5 | 11000 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 12
7     | 6 | 13000 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11
8     | 6 | 15000 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11
9     | 7 | 17000 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11
10   | 8 | 19000 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10
11   | 9 | 21000 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10
12 | 9+2 | 23000 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10

Cleric/shaman/anti-cleric spells per day
Character level | # of 1st-level spells | # 2nd | # 3rd | # 4th | # 5th | # 6th
1* | - | - | - | - | - | - |
2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - |
3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - |
4 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
5 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - |
6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - |
7 | 4 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - |
8 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | - | - |
9 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | - | - |
10 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | - |
11 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | - |
12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1
*1st-level clerics/shamans/anti-clerics cannot cast spells

Turning/repelling/destroying undead
Cleric level | Undead 1 HD | 2 HD | 3 HD | 4 HD | 5 HD | 6 HD | 7 HD | 8 HD | 9 HD | 10 HD | 11+ HD
1   | 7 | 10 | - | - | - | - | - |  - | - | - | - |
2   | 5 | 8 | 11 | - | - | - | - |  - | - | - | - |
3   | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | - | - | - |  - | - | - | - |
4   | A | 4 | 7 | 9 | 12 | - | - |  - | - | - | - |
5   | A | A | 5 | 7 | 9 | 12 | - |  - | - | - | - |
6   | D | A | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 12 |  - | - | - | - |
7   | D | D | A | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 12 | - | - | - |
8   | D | D | A| A | 3 | 5 | 7 |  9 | 12| - | - |
9   | D | D | D | A | A | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 12 | - |
10 | D | D | D | D | A | A | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 12 |
11 | D | D | D | D | D | A | A | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9|
12 | D | D | D | D | D | D | A | A | 3 | 3 | 7 |

To turn undead a cleric must present his holy symbol with a free hand. The player then rolls 2d6 and if the result equals or exceeds any number shown then the undead are turn away and cannot approach or attack the cleric or his party for 10 minutes (1 turn). All of the closest and weakest undead are affected first. An "A" indicates automatic turning and a "D" indicates that turned undead are instead destroyed.