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.

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.

Writing an OSR(?) game from memory, Part 1: Goals, ability scores, alignment

Somewhat inspired by the Gygax 75 challenge, I've decided to write an OSR(-compatible) game from memory. I won't be referencing any rulebooks, modules, or SRDs. I expect the result to look a bit like LBB with weird bits of B/X, 1e, 2e, and some homebrew. I will gather my end results and throw them up as a formatted PDF on Drivethrurpg.

Goals:
] all character creation information
] at least 3 races
] at least 3 classes, at least one of which is a spell caster
] full spell list for casters
] equipment list
] full exploration rules
] full combat rules 
] full treasure and magic items
] enough monsters to populate 3 dungeon levels' worth of encounters
] enough monsters to populate 3 biomes' worth of encounters


Character Creation
To create a character one must generate abilities, select a race, select a class, determine spells, and purchase equipment.

Ability Scores
Ability scores represent general physical and mental aptitudes in numerical fashion. Roll 3d6 6 times, assigning each number in order to the following abilities:

Strength: Represents muscle power. It is most important to fighting-men.

Scores | Fighting-manXP | Force doors/objects
3-6 | -10% | 1-in-6
7-14 | - | 2-in-6
15-18 | +10% | 4-in-6

Intelligence: Represents intellect, logic, and memory. It is most important to magic-users.

Scores | Magic-User XP | Languages | Literacy | Chance to learn spell (Magic-Users)
3-6 | -10% | Alignment and racial | Illiterate* | 60**
7-14 | - | Alignment and racial | Literate | 70**
15-18 | +10% | Alignment, racial, plus one extra language | Literate | 80%**
*illiterate magic-user require the aid of a literate magic-user to teach them spells
**modified by spell level

Wisdom: Represents insight, senses, and reflection. It is most important to clerics, shamans, and anti-clerics. 

Scores | Cleric XP | Modifier on saves vs mental/emotional/spiritual effects
3-6 | -10% | -2
7-14 | - | -

15-18 | +10% | +2

Constitution: Represents endurance and general health. It is important for all characters.

Scores | Hit point modifier per hit die | System shock survival chance
3-4 | -1 | 45%
5-14 | - | 70%

17-18 | +1 | 95%

Dexterity: Represents reflexes and coordination.

Scores | Modifier on ranged attacks
3-8 | -1
9-12 | -

13-18 | +1

Charisma: Represents personal magnetism and self-confidence.

Scores | Reaction modifier | Maximum henchmen | Base loyalty

3-4 | -2 | 2 | 8
6-8 | -1 | 2 | 10
9-12 | - | 3 | 12
13-16 | +1 | 4 | 14
17-18 | +2 | 4 | 16

Alignment
All of creation is involved in the cosmic struggle between Law and Chaos; even those who refrain from the battle unknowingly side with Neutrality. Mortals (and many immortals) are not perfect representations of their alignments but their attitudes and actions convey their allegiances. All characters must select an alignment, and some alignments cannot pursue certain classes. All characters know their alignment language (Lawful, Neutral, or Chaotic); a character whose alignment changes lose access to the alignment language until his alignment reverts or someone from his new alignment teaches him the new language.

Law can be roughly equated to "Good"; Even at their worst, Lawful people act with noble intentions and try to help others.

Chaos can be roughly equated to "Evil"; Even at their best, Chaotic people act with corrupt intentions and try to hinder others.

Neutrality often represents a lack of commitment or a desire to avoid trouble but for some it is a philosophy of "Balance" in the cosmos.

Selected creatures' typical alignments
LAW========NEUTRALITY========CHAOS
Men                    Men                                    Men
Dwarves             Halflings                            Goblins
Cavemen            Orcs                                   Hobgoblins
Treants               Ogres                                 Trolls
Judicators           Elementals                        Balors
Dragons             Dragons                            Dragons

Underlined creatures are equally likely to be Neutral or Chaotic
Italic creatures are equally likely to be Lawful or Neutral

Free Adventures for OSR/TSR D&D

It's been a while, huh? I've uploaded some adventure modules I did a while back. If you're an /osrg/ regular then you've probably seen them but for some readers I expect this to be new. There's also other, less great stuff on the "OSR Downloads" link to your right >
People don't seem to look at those pages though. Anyway, I was going to talk a bit about the adventures, what inspired them, etc. RPGnow links contain affliate links but no one who read my blog buys anything so that doesn't matter ;_;

1. DUNGEON PLANET preview edition

As is so often the case, DUNGEON PLANET is a weird chimera born from bits and bobs. Man-centipedes were inspired by Dark Souls' Man-snakes and they've kicking around in my head for a year(s?). Zhang Zhong was just a random name I came up with while working on a spell document. A planet (moon if we want to get picky) that's also a dungeon was inspired by a random thread I found ages ago asking if Dungeon World was a setting where the world was a  planetary megadungeon (hint 1: it isn't; hint 2; DW was a mistake). It was also inspired by a module called ZH-01 An Overwhelming Sense of Loss which unlike DW I do recommend (and it's free).

Structurally, the DUNGEON PLANET (yeah, the name is in allcaps all the time) is based on traditional nerd dice in a matryoshka-style configuration: Level 1 is a d20, level 2 is d12, level 3 is a d10, etc. As for the innermost level, I haven't really thought about it.

2. HELL METRO

This is another weird frankenstein. As a kinda sorta weeb (Japanese media nerd) I've had a desire to do an anime- or manga-themed OSR thing for a while. The three biggest influences were Mugen Senshi Valis (the Genesis/MD game not what it has sadly become now), an OVA called Dragon Century (1st episode/god chapter only), and last but not least the manga Metro Survive. Although the Control Brain was inspired by Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z-Hen (which was inspired by Mazinger Z: Relic of Terror). I was also playing a lot of Battle Mania Daginjou/Trouble Shooter Vintage at the time.

Charisma gives a bonus to saves because in the context of Japanese fantasy I imagined it could also represent guts/luck. If I were running it I'd have the outcome be a National Dimensional Overlay.

3. VILE VENGEANCE OF THE BEES

Yes, this entire module was written just because I thought an old pre-Weatherlight Magic: The Gathering card was really cool. Fuck the Jacetice League btw

So there it is.
tl;dr click on this for free stuff.

Fire-cults of the Trolls

Imagine a small chunk of wood. At the end of it flickers a yellow-red shape, casting a cruel light on you. Imagine the primal fear that tugs at your soul knowing that baleful glow can harm you, can kill you if it touches your skin. This is what a troll thinks when he sees fire. Fire is death. It is not warmth or comfort, it is pain and destruction and agony. Little wonder then that most trolls will hesitate to attack even when confronted with a simple torch. Now consider that there are some trolls who worship this deadly fire.

They can be compared to the death-cults humans are so drawn to; ritual murders and necromantic studies undertaken to cheat, or at least postpone, death.  Their counterparts among trolls are fire-cults. It’s easier to recognize troll fire-cultists than human death-cultists: Fire-cultists are completed devoid of hair and covered with ritual scars. Yes, scars. Some natural philosophers will swear by their mentors’ souls that trolls cannot have scars because of their regenerative powers; this is usually true, but the fire-cultists have figured out how to get past that hurdle. Metal tools are heated until they are at least red hot, then the scar-patterns are traced upon the skin of converts by senior members. The first scarification ritual lasts about 36 straight hours. Those who try to recant their conversion become impromptu sacrifices destined to be slowly burnt to death.

Fire-cultists sacrifice a variety of offerings to their strange patron via immolation: Books, oil, cloth, animals, people. However, they especially seek to capture normal trolls alive and slowly roast them to death. Fire-cultists consider this to be the form of offering most pleasing to their master. They also don’t mind a bit of arson every now and then, especially when they’re leaving an area to find a new lair. Aside from the dangers of arson, their predation of common trolls also causes problems because it strengthens the power of local orcs, goblinoids, or ogres. 

Despite all this, the strangest fact of the fire-cultists is this: Something has answered them. Fire halves the potency of their regeneration instead of negating it. Many a foolhardy adventurer or troll has charged against fire-cultists expecting a quick flaming victory only to find himself on the sacrificial pyre.

As for the identity of their mysterious benefactor none can say; the fire-cultists don’t even seem clear on that themselves. They general refer to their deity as “The Devouring Flame” or “The Fire That Ends The World” but sages have been unable to connect these titles to any known extraplanar powers.

Terrors & Wonders RPG

I've been fiddling around with RPGs to distract myself from some real life stuff. I wrote up a new game called called Terrors & Wonders (there should be a link to the page to the right, under the search bar). I'd argue that it's sorta OSR-ish. It's still a WIP.

Highlights:
-only 3 ability scores (Body, Mind, Soul) with B/X modifiers
-humans are currently the only playable race
-3 classes (Fighter, Rogue, Wizard)
-roll-under ability checks replace saves
-wizards cast spells spontaneously (like 3.x sorcerers) and don't need to use gestures and words
-there are only 3 types of melee weapons, 5 types of ranged weapons, 3 types of armor, and 2 types of shields
-uses 5e's Advantage and Disadvantage mechanics
-spells come mainly from the Pathfinder SRD but level-dependent effects have been removed
-monster format is a cross between AD&D and 3.x

Hope you guys find some of the material interesting enough to steal borrow.

Magic Missile Random Appearance Generator

Magic Missile is an ubiquitous part of D&D and it can take many forms. To randomly generate an appearance for the Magic Missile spell, roll a d20 3 times (1 roll per column) on the table below and fill in the following sentence with the words indicated by the rolls on the table afterwards.

 “When you cast Magic Missile, a large (1) (2) appears and shoots (4) from its (3)”

1d20	(1)	(2); (3)	(4)
1	Demonic	Hand; Finger	Fire
2	Skeletal	Hand; Palm	A knife
3	Mechanical	Face; Eyes	An arrow
4	Animalistic	Face; Nostrils	A skull
5	Ooze-like	Face; Mouth	A laser
6	Fiery	Eye; Pupil	Bones
7	Icy	Mouth; Tongue	A snake
8	Rocky	Mouth; Gullet	A sword
9	Gaseous	Nose; Nostrils	Electricity
10	Crystalline	Heart; Open Arteries	Shadows
11	Glowing Green	Heart; Center	Rainbows
12	Draconic	Disc; Center	Blood
13	Brass	Disc; Edge	Strips of flesh
14	Fleshy	Cube; Corners	Flies
15	Bloody	Cube; Side	Gold coins
16	Shadowy	Crossbow; Barrel	Jewels
17	Misshapen	Sword; Tip	Flowers
18	Filth-encrusted	Sword; Edge	Needles
19	Beautiful	Foot; Toe	A rock
20	Ancient-looking	Foot; Sole	Bolas

For example, Dave rolls 3d20 to generate the Magic Missile appearance of Connor the Calamitous, his Wizard PC. He rolls 17, 18, and 12. So when Connor the Calamitous casts Magic Missile, a large misshapen sword appears and shoots blood from its edge. This effect is purely cosmetic: the Magic Missile still only does 1d4+1 (or whatever) damage.