Coming early 2023... Old School Adventures™ Accessory RS1: Fang, Faith, and Legerdemain (a B/X Rules Supplement)

So just about the time we finished editing this earlier this year, I decided I wanted to just fold this into a much larger "B/X DMG" with all kinds of additional stuff (e.g., all the thieves' info from In Alley & Shadow, plus I'm working on information about creating pantheons, clerics establishing orders, how to structure settlements and encounters, etc.—you know, the kind of stuff that is the 1e DMG, just for BX). But that's a meaty bite to chew, especially with the demands of work, life, love, other projects, etc. 

So instead, I'm releasing nearly as originally planned. I say "nearly" because I had originally planned to print it as a saddle stitched book to make the feel of the original B/X rulebooks. However, time conspires, so it will be a perfect bound book instead. I'm waiting on proof copies (will take a couple of weeks), and will look to release it just before my new work semester starts in full force (2nd-3rd week of January). 

Here's the finalized Table of Contents. 

Free B/X House Rule Download: Astrological Adjustments

One of the things I really appreciate about Welbo as an editor is that he always questions the usefulness of anything that I look at including into a book, especially rules-driven things (like the upcoming Fang, Faith, and Legerdemain rules supplement). Such is today's PDF download—a house rule for Astrological Adjustments for your classic tabletop roleplaying. 

It's not secret that many of us are enamored with Bruce Galloway's The Highest Level of All Fantasy Wargaming. What sold me on buying it from my local B. Dalton's in 1982 was that it included astrological adjustments for ability scores. "What a concept!" I thought to myself. 

Though I've never used in my D&D gaming, I always intended to. Which is why I was looking at including it in Fang, Faith, and Legerdemain. But, thanks to Welbo, I realized it was just fluff—a page in the book I could use for something truthfully more useful. (Still working on what that is, but it's looking like it's going to be Character Background stuff.) 

Anyway, so it doesn't go to waste, here it is for your downloading pleasure!
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS PDF.

An Overview of All the Upcoming New Big Dragon Releases

All of the following projects are production-ready, except for some final test prints and some final editing/proofing polish. The goal is to release them in September (probably late September, maybe early October). Right now, this is the plan... the initial print release will be as an "all or none" bundle pre-order through the New Big Dragon square storefront, with PDF copies included, with individual sales (including PDF only options) will follow in the weeks after the initial bundles ship. (It's kind of like doing a Kickstarter, without having to do a Kickstarter—too much damn hassle and cost associated with it.)

All of the following are specifically designed for B/X rulesets (and similar).

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Old School Adventures™ Accessory RS1
Fang, Faith, and Legerdemain

This is sort of an abridged DMG for BX, with alternate and supplementary rules, including character information, weapons & armor details, supplementary combat options, expanded monster information, and more!

  

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Old School Adventures™ Module BX1
Adventurers Wanted

This campaign module combines 5 separate adventurers run over recent years at NTRPGCon, written by Richard LeBlanc and legendary D&D contributor and author Steve Marsh. Direct sale print copies feature an old-school "separate cover" map in classic blue and magenta. 

"Rock Sorenson, an adventure broker based in the city of Drekka, is seeking would-be heroes for a mission that will lead to a path of adventure that takes them from wide-eyed novices to established heroes!"

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Old School Adventures™ Accessory CCSB
Creature Compendium Special Edition Boxed Set

This a digest-sized, 4-book boxed set. Each book includes 45 new monsters based on images culled from public domain pulp magazine resources. A couple of the books include some supporting information for the creatures; for example,  book 3 includes 7 new animal-related MU spells and book 4 includes 7 new BXΨ (Basic Psionics) disciplines.

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Dragon Horde, Volumen 2, Issue 2
In Alley & Shadow

This is a digest-sized thief-themed zine (similar in format and content to 2019's Wherein Evil Lies).

  

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B/X House Rules: Potion Miscibility

 In working on the layout for Fang, Faith, and Legerdemain, I realized I had waaaaay too much room for illustrations in the Alchemy section. So I asked myself, "What additional content could I maybe put in that section?" 

Being a fan of Chris Stogdill's d30 Potion Miscibility Table (I've used it often in my games),  I decided a Potion Miscibility Table was the perfect addition. Also, I had completely forgotten the 1e DMG included one. 

I like the 3d6 roll vs. the d% used in the DMG because it's more B/X to me. Also, in this table, the chance of the "Poison" result on 3d6 is 1 in 216 (vs. the 1 in 100 chance from the DMG). The same is true of the "Discovery" result.

Anyhoo, here's my B/X adaptation of the Potion Miscibility rules. 

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Potion Miscibility

The composition of a potion is a complicated thing. The alchemist can spend weeks preparing the ingredients just so, then combining them in perfect balance. The composition of one potion is not always compatible with another. The miscibility of potions should be tested when either of the following occurs: 

1. the commingling of two (or more) potions
2. a creature still under the effect of one potion consumes another

It is suggested that, under such circumstances, a 3d6 roll be made on the Potion Miscibility Table (or a similar table of the DM’s own design) to determine the outcome of the commingling: 

Additional Considerations

The following considerations should be taken into account when using the Potion Miscibility Table.

• Contradictory potions (e.g., a potion of growth and a potion of diminution) will normally cancel each other out, but may cause additional miscibility effects. 
• A potion of delusion may be commingled with any other single potion without the effects of either being affected.
• Combining oil of slipperiness and oil of etherealness has a 50% chance of causing the imbiber to lost in the Ethereal Plane for 5d6 days.
• If three or more potions are combined, subsequent rolls should be affected by a negative modifier. (The modifier is at the discretion of the DM, and should be based on the similarity/dissimilarity of the potions’ effects.)

B/X House Rules: Custom Character Classes

I gained a couple of pages in the layout for Fang, Faith, and Legerdemain (the B/X house rules book I've been working on), and have decided it needs a Custom Character Classes appendix.

The overall system is one that's familiar (from both Dragon Magazine and 2e), but I've tried to make it more "Moldvay-like" (as much as I could). 

This is a pretty rough draft (I know there are some issues) but I'm doing a beta of it regardless. I appreciate any input people are willing to provide.

Download the Beta PDF of Fang, Faith, and Legerdemain "Appendix A: Custom Character Classes" >>

Please let me know your thoughts. For shorter comments, feel free to use the comments boxes below. If you'd rather give longer input (e.g., in a text document), or even mark up the PDF, I've set up a FileDrop you can use. Make sure to include your name (as you'd like it to appear in credits) so I can add your name to the Thanks section.

Use this link to access FileDrop. >>

Thanks!

B/X House Rules: Fang, Faith, and Legerdemain

So this is the final table of contents for Fang, Faith, and Legerdemain... 

Everything is written (but not edited), except the Dice Mechanics page. (There's some math to be done!)

B/X House Rule: The Effects of Alcohol & Drugs

There's a player in my bi-weekly game who's character seems obsessed with finding something to drink every time they visit a town or stay in someone's roadside cottage. So I figured it was time I prepared some drinking rules in case his character gets slipped a Mickey and some shit goes down while the character is in their altered state.

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Alcohol

Every time a character consumes an alcoholic beverage there is a chance it will affect them based on their Constitution and the strength of the beverage.

For each alcoholic beverage a character consumes, the Potency Rating of that drink is totaled with all the other drinks that character has consumed to produce their Intoxication Score. A PC can sustain an Intoxication Score equal to their Constitution without being affected. Should they consume in excess of that amount, the difference between the amount consumed and their Constitution determines their Potency Excess which, in turn, determines their State of Intoxication. 

A character’s State of Intoxication affects their performance as outlined by the Intoxication Table below:

Every turn a drunken character remains in a Stupor, they must save vs. poison or pass out for 1d4 hours. Additionally, the result of this roll is modified by their total Potency Excess minus 8 (e.g., a character with a Potency Excess of 10 would suffer a penalty of –2 on the roll).

A character’s Constitution score determines at what rate their Intoxication Score is reduced. The rate of recovery is doubled while the character is sleeping.

If a character awakens from a full-night’s rest after drinking, or has not had a full night's rest since they were drinking, and their Intoxication Score is still greater than 0 (zero), they will remain exhausted until their next full-night’s rest. While exhausted, they suffer a –2 penalty on all “to hit” rolls and saving throws, a +2 penalty to Armor Class, and their movement is halved.

Drugs

Generally, narcotics will have the same effects on a character’s State of Intoxication (as above). However, at the DM’s discretion, these substances may have additional effects on a character’s Morale, Ability Scores, Attack Level, etc. Furthermore, strong stimulants have a 5% chance per use of permanently reducing a character’s Constitution score by 1 point. Mild stimulants are rarely produce this sort of harmful effects.

B/X House Rule: PC Astrological Alterations

I, like many others my age, bought a copy of what is generally agreed-upon as one of the most convoluted products ever put out by our hobby—the Bruce Galloway monstrosity Fantasy Wargaming: The Highest Level of All. Also like many others who bought it, I read it (well, skimmed it from time to time), but never attempted to play it. 

For all of its pages, and it's intriguing visual look (including that whole hardback thing), the one thing that struck me most—and is ultimately the reason I coughed up the (what I seem to remember as) $25— was the idea that a character's astrological sign could change their attribute scores. 

I always wanted to include that in my D&D games, but since the attributes didn't quite jive between rulesets, I never took the time to work it out. Until today!!!!

I was looking for a reason to use my 12-sided zodiac die. After finishing the chart, I went digging for that dodecahedron and it turns out I misremembered it. It is a planet symbol die, not a zodiac one, so it doesn't quite match up (Mercury and Venus are each attached to 2 signs, and the die features north and south nodes for the moon, which are not directly tied to any of the signs). 

Oh well, guess I'll have to buy a zodiac die or two. 

Here you go! 

B/X House Rule: Object Saving Throws

I've often felt like I needed Object Saving Throws in my games, and have long been enamored of how they appeared in the old AD&D DM Screen. Since I've been putting a lot of house rule things up lately, no reason not to share this too!

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It is generally assumed that if a character or creature survives, anything they are are wearing or carrying also survives. If a special form of damage kills the character (e.g., dragon breath or magical disintegration), their normal equipment is also considered destroyed. 

At the DM’s discretion, magic items or items standing alone may be permitted a saving throw to avoid being destroyed. Magic items receive a bonus equal to their best bonus (e.g., a sword +1/+2 vs. lycanthropes would receive a +2 bonus on its saving throws). A roll of 1 always fails. 

How an object is affected should consider both the object and the type of damage inflicted (e.g., a crushing blow would shatter glass, but tear or rip cloth). The notations below are only guidelines, and the DM may adjust the numbers as they see fit.

Notes on Item Types

Wood/Rope. The number may be adjusted up or down based on the hardness or softness of the wood, or the strength/thickness of the rope. A fall does not normally harm rope, regardless of the height.

Liquids/Potions. This assumes that the container in which the liquid or potion is held remains intact. If the container is destroyed, it is assumed the liquid or potion held inside is also lost.

Soft Metal/Jewelry. This includes silver mirrors and pearls of all sorts.

Hard Metal. If a hard metal object that has been exposed to extreme cold is struck with sufficient force (10 hp or more in a single blow), there is a 50% chance it will be shattered/damaged/destroyed.

Notes on Damage Types

Fall. This is based on the object falling approximately 5' and coming into contact with a hard surface (e.g., stone). Softer surfaces provide a bonus of +1 to +5 (based on how soft they are). Falls from a greater height should penalize the roll by –2 for each additional 5' fallen. 

Crush. The item is struck by a weighty object falling on it or hitting it (e.g., a giant’s club or a thrown rock). 

Strike. The item is struck by fairly-heavy object or a normal-strength opponent. 

Magic Fire. This includes all varieties of magical fire (e.g., dragon breath, the spells fireball, wall of fire, etc.). For normal fires, adjust the target number by –3.

Magic Frost. This includes all varieties of magical cold (e.g., white dragon breath, the spells cone of cold, wall of ice, etc.).

Lightning. This includes both magical electricity (e.g., blue dragon breath, the spells lightning bolt, etc.), and large scale electrical effects (e.g., the “shock” of a giant eletric eel). For smaller discharges (e.g., a normal-sized electric eel, spells like shocking grasp, magical traps, etc.), all objects save on a 2 or better except liquids/potions, which require a roll of 10 or better to avoid being ruined.

Acid. This assumes the object is immersed or submerged in a considerable volume of a strong acid (e.g., black dragon breath) for an amount of time substantial enough to affect the item.

Disintegration. This is the magical effect. Non-magical items should not be permitted to make a save against disintegration (except as otherwise indicated by the spell or effect).

BX House Rule: Manufacturing Holy Water

There has been some discussion in my bi-weekly game group about the possibility of making their own holy water, so I had to do a little research. I've created a B/X house rule for making holy water based on the information in the 1e DMG.

The good news for the cleric is there is a clairvoyant NPC that can send a message for the party to have a stoup made dedicated to the cleric's deity—Morbagallicus. The bad news is the cleric is a couple of levels shy of being able to cast 3rd level spells. 

But, then again, by the time the stoup is finished, the cleric might have gained a couple of levels!

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A cleric (or paladin, or similar divine spellcaster) may create holy/unholy water under the following conditions:

1. They possess or have access to a approriate blessed/cursed vessel (a “stoup”) in which the holy/unholy water will be created.
2. The character is capable of casting 3rd level cleric spells.

Holy/Unholy Water Receptacles

The stoup/vessel for creating holy water consists of 2 parts:

1. the font: a finely-crafted repository of wood (with a base, pedestal, chest-like holder, and lid) carved or engraved with the holy/unholy symbols of the deity to which the vessel has been dedicated.
2. the basin: a metal bowl placed within the font which holds the water to be blessed.

A cleric may only create holy/unholy water in a vessel dedicated to their deity. The amount of water they may create depends on the metal used for the basin.

All fonts and basins are made to order, taking 4-10 (2d4+2) weeks to be designed and constructed. 

Basins in combinations of metal may be available (at DM’s discretion), with costs and capacity adjusted accordingly (e.g., a silver basin chased with gold and set with gold handles).

Generally, the stoup must be housed in a religious structure, and each structure is limited to having a single stoup. 

Procedure/Ritual

The ritual for creating holy/unholy water takes 1 hour to perform, and requires the cleric use the following: a purify food and water spell (or reverse), a bless spell (or reverse), and a 3rd level spell slot for the ritual that creates the holy/unholy water. The ritual must be performed uninterrupted, and if the cleric does not have the available spell slots for all three spells, the ritual cannot be completed. The ritual may only be performed once per week, and immediately after the cleric must rest for at least 8 hours.

Portable Stoups (Optional)

The DM may opt to allow the use of portable stoups. The suggested cost and capacity for such stoups is outlined below:

The encumbrance of a portable stoup is a number of coins equal to the font cost for the stoup (e.g., a portable silver stoup has an encumbrance of 200 coins). 

Performing the ritual to make holy water outside a structure dedicated to cleric’s deity (even a structure dedicated to a similar or companion deity) takes the cleric an entire day, during which time they may not undertake any other adventuring or perform any other activities. The standard period of 8 hours is required as normal.

BX House Rule: Scroll Production

Sparked by a discussion in the B/X group on Facebook, and partly as an extension of my recent poast House Rule: Thieves’ Ability: Find/Disarm Traps and as an idea I had a while back about creating a detailed scroll production supplement (that went into detail about writing substrates, special quills, etc.), I decided to do simplified scroll production table. Generally, I don't like the idea of a "flat" chance of failure (15% according to Marsh/Cook Expert), regardless of the caster or spell level. This chart takes that into account. The higher in level the caster, the lower level the spell, the higher the chance of success (well... the lower the chance of failure), and vice versa.

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Creating scrolls requires 500 gp and 1 week per spell level (e.g., creating a scroll for a 2nd level spell takes 1000 gp and 2 weeks). After the time and expense, the spellcaster rolls 2d6 on the the table below to determine success.

Optional Rules

Roll Modifiers: DM May allow roll to be adjusted by the spellcaster's Dexterity modifier, and/or Intelligence modifier (for arcane spell casters) or Wisdom modifier (for divine spellcasters).

High-quality Materials: For twice the normal cost, the spellcaster rolls as if one level higher than normal.

Rushed Production: For each week taken off of the production time, the spellcaster rolls as if one level lower than normal. A minimum of one week is required.

Multiple Spells on a Single Scroll: A caster may attempt to scribe multiple spells on a single scroll. This halves the normal cost of producing the scrolls separately. However, a success roll must be made for each spell being scribed, and any failure for any spell on the entire scroll ruins all other spells on the scroll (even if successfully scribed on their own).