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).

Guest Post: Steve Marsh on Alignment

As the completion of art and editing for Steve Marsh's Shattered Norns draws imminently closer, and its publication looms, and editor always has to face the unfortunate truth that there is just not a place for EVERYTHING you'd like to include in the book. In this case, the thing I'd like to include (but just seemed to feel forced in wherever I put it), is a small insight penned by Mr. Marsh regarding his introduction to Gary Gygax of the Good/Evil alignment axis (thereby creating the "dual-axis" alignment system introduced in AD&D), and how it relates to Steve's concept of chaos (i.e., "anarchy"). Steve also nods to 5th Edition's acknowledgement of abominations (outsiders/forces of entropy) as this is particularly relevant in his Shattered Norns world where abominations abound.

In addition to Steve's commentary, I've included a graphic I recently created, taking all of the components of the various alignment charts that exist, as well as the SRD alignment content, and merging them into a single "go to" reference graphic for alignment.

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On Alignment – My approach to alignment
by Steve Marsh

The original alignment system was based off of the law/chaos axis of Poul Anderson’s Three Hearts and Three Lions more than anything else.

Chaos was feral rebellion, both the immoral and the amoral, and everything that tore down creation.

Law was the harmonizing and creative force that organizes, creates and preserves the world.

Using this law/chaos polar opposition as an express part of a gaming world was a conceptual breakthrough by Gary Gygax that allowed it to be a natural driver for all sorts of things in the game world. The system fit a dark ages world very well. It creates a natural conflict and aligns with good and evil directly on the law/chaos axis.

The system had two problems, though. First, too many gamers were much more familiar with Michael Moorcock’s use of law and chaos. Second, I wanted a different type of nuance.

This is why I proposed an order/anarchy system with the poles of good and evil on a different axis. Anarchy can have natural nobility (determined purely by personal charisma and power), and Law can have democracy. For a long time in my personal campaign I used Anarchy or Tychism (a philosophical school) in the place of Chaos in order to focus the point on what “chaos” was.

Eventually, Gary agreed with me and migrated the game world to a 2-axis system where the law/chaos axis crossed with good/evil axis. It allowed for things to be feral without them being necessarily evil (old school “chaos”). It also allowed for characters to distinguish between the amoral (where being without morals = neutral) and the immoral (where those who are doing wrong = evil).

One thing I like about 5th Edition is that it acknowledges abominations (those from outside; generally forces of entropy, normally classified as “evil”) that do not necessarily fit properly into the law/chaos structure. My campaign world (Shattered Norns) is marked by having been marred by a massive intrusion by an abomination that was repulsed. I used to use the term “chaos” to refer to it, which led to confusion. Part of what I like about the 5e “abomination” category is that I can use the term “abomination,” and be clearly understood across the game categories, while using the standard law/chaos terminology as well.

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New BX/LL Psionic Class: The Devine

As I've mentioned previously, the two main sources that fed the input for what Tim Kask developed as psionics in Eldritch Wizardry was a mystic class penned by Steve Marsh (which provided the source for the psionic disciplines) and a devine class created by Gary Gygax (which provided the source for psionic combat). The mystic class for the Basic Psionics Handbook was developed by me under the guidance of Mr. Marsh (and, again, I thank him profusely for his input and advice). Unfortunately, I don't have the same luxury of being able to ask Mr. Gygax for his input on a devine class. I do, however, have as reference a version of the devine class penned by Mr. Marsh under the class title of "Psychics" which I believe was either published in, or intended to be published in, an issue of The Cupric Text zine (I'll need to get clarification from him on this). His psychic class employs combat modes, and it was Mr. Marsh's "rock/paper/scissors" idea that fed the basis of the way psionic combat works in the Basic Psionics Handbook.

What you'll find below is my take on the devine character class for use with the Basic Psionics Handbook, inspired by the demon slayers of hindu legend. (Take a moment and go get your 1e Monster Manuals; you'll find that all greater demons possess psionics.) This class will for sure appear in the Character Class Codex, but will likely appear sooner in an addenda volume for the Basic Psionics Handbook (tentatively titled Addenda Psionica) which will include some additional psionic classes, powers, monsters and items I've been working on.

[BTW, I'm still slated for a PDF release of the BPH tomorrow morning.]

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THE DEVINE

Please note that this character class requires use of Old School Adventures™ Accessory PX1: Basic Psionics Handbook.

The devine is a mystical combatant who balances physical prowess (with traditional weapons) and psionic prowess (through the use of psionic combat modes). Although the powers of a devine are derived from innate psionic talent, devines are akin to clerics in that they receive assistance from divine patrons known as devas (benevolent divinities) and asuras (malevolent divinities). Devines often find themselves in the roll of demon slayer, in service to a deity (or deities).

The prime requisites of a devine are Strength and Wisdom. If a devine has a score of 13 or greater in both Strength and Wisdom, the character will gain a +5% bonus on earned experience points. If a devine has a Strength of 13 or greater AND a Wisdom of 16 or greater, the character will gain a +10% bonus on earned experience.

Devines use the same attack and saving tables as clerics.

RESTRICTIONS: Devines determine their hit points with six-sided dice (d6). Devines may wield any type of weapon, wear any type of armor, and use a shield. They are permitted the magic items normally permitted a fighter, and the psionic items normally permitted a mystic. A devine must have a minimum score of 9 in both Intelligence and Charisma.

When a devine reaches name (9th) level, he or she may choose to build a fortress, which must contain a shrine. The cost of the construction is 125% of the normal cost for a similar fortress, as the devine will spare no expense in furnishing the building and decorating it in such as a way as to honor the divinity(s) to which the devine pledges his or her honor. Once constructed, the fortress will attract 2d6 1st level fighters who will serve the devine as a personal guard. There is a 50% chance that one of those fighters will, instead, be a 1st level devine.

SPECIAL ABILITIES: Through a combination of meditation and devotion to the gods, devines are endowed with a number of special abilities. The greatest of these is their knowledge of psionic attack and defense modes, which devines gain as they rise in level. Because the devine dedicates himself to both the physical and the divine, devines earn PSPs at a much more restricted rate than mystics, but at a much greater rate than monks, gaining 4 PSPs per psionic level. Devines are subject to the same “character time” requirements as other psionicists for the daily regeneration of PSPs—an undisturbed period of meditation and prayer (usually about an hour) after a full-night (8 hours) of rest.

As the devine rises in level, a number of other special abilities are gained as outlined below:

Third Eye. Beginning at 3rd level, a devine gains a permanent third eye. While it precludes the use of third eyes (as psionic items), it does provide the devine with a number of permanent abilities based on his or her level, including the following:
– 3rd Level: infravision to 120'
– 5th Level: ability to see into the Ethereal Plane
– 7th Level: psionic true seeing
All of these abilities are usable concurrently if the devine so chooses.

Detect Planar Natives. Beginning at 4th level, a devine gains the ability to sense the presence of planar natives to a radius of 360' (if in the same plane as the devine). This ability works through all materials except iron, and includes bound creatures (e.g., through magic jar or in a soul gem). The type of being detectable depend on the level of the devine as below:
– 4th Level: Ethereal natives
– 6th Level: Astral Natives
– 8th Level: natives of the inner/outer planes
Devines are unable to detect the presence of natives of the Shadow or Dream Planes.

Extra Limbs. Beginning at 9th level, a devine gains access to the use of an extra pair of arms. These arms take 1 round of concentration to manifest and they remain for 3 turns, though the devine may dismiss them before the end of that duration. From 9th through 11th level, this ability is usable 3 times per day. Beginning at 12th level, it is usable 5 teims per day. These arms provide one additional one additional attack per round (as outlined below), but do not allow the use of a second shield:
a) 1 additional melee attack per round with a 1-handed weapon against the same opponent as the first attack (made with a separate 1-handed or 2-handed weapon) or
b) 1 additional arrow attack per round against the same target as the first attack, using the same bow as the first shot
While manifested, these extra limbs provide the opportunity to wear/use additional magic items (e.g., bracers, gloves, rings, etc.), increase the amount of weight a character may carry/lift/drag by 25%, and provide a +3 bonus to any Strength check or grappling attempt.

Banishment. Beginning at 10th level, a devine gains knowledge of the psychoportative discipline banishment. The devine may use this ability at will, but with the same PSP cost as a mystic (3 PSPs per use).

Concurrent Use of 2 Attack Modes. Beginning at 11th level, a devine may use 2 attack modes concurrently. The PSP cost for each is the same as normal. Victims must make separate psionic saving throws for each or suffer the effects of each attack as normally prescribed.

Concurrent Use of 2 Defense Modes. Beginning at 13th level, a devine may use 2 defense modes concurrently. The PSP cost for each is the same as normal. The benefits provided by the concurrent modes do not stack; instead, the more beneficial option of the 2 modes employed is used for the sake of determining saving throws, and the more beneficial option of the 2 modes employed is used for the sake of determining effects on a failed saving throw.

New Big Dragon Games Unlimited to publish a fifth edition adventure module written by Steve Marsh

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

New Big Dragon Games Unlimited to publish
a fifth edition adventure module written by Steve Marsh

Dallas, Texas — October 5, 2015: New Big Dragon Games Unlimited is proud to announce the upcoming release of its first fifth edition adventure module, Steve Marsh's Shattered Norns #1: Into the Shadows.

The book will be the first fifth edition product published by New Big Dragon, publisher of many popular OSR resources, including the d30 DM Companion and the d30 Sandbox Companion. It is also the first formally published version of the Shattered Norns material, developed and written by RPG industry legend Stephen R. Marsh.

Mr. Marsh is best-known for his contributions to the Expert rulebook for the classic edition of the world's original fantasy roleplaying game, as well as the concept of the game's dual-axis alignment system, and the introduction of the planes of existence to tabletop gaming.

Shattered Norns, as a setting, deals with a world that was in the process of being created when it was torn apart by magic and treachery—a world still in formation when it was shattered by an incursion of chaos from outside the universe as it is commonly known, born by an intrusion of abominations.

The intent of the Into the Shadows adventure is to introduce characters to one corner of the world and provide them with a base for additional adventure hooks and experiences. For players, it not only acts to introduce the Shattered Norns setting, but also introduces Mr. Marsh's vision of the Shadow Plane and guidelines for adventuring "in shadow."

The world of Shattered Norns, and the Shadow Plane setting of the Into the Shadows adventure, sees the culmination of a great deal of Mr. Marsh's work. The setting has its roots in the 1970s, even predating the period he spent working directly for the company who published the world's original fantasy role-playing game. Star Strands, the original version of the setting, ended up in the infamous bonfire of 1985, when leadership of that company changed hands. In 1992, Mr. Marsh was reworking the material when tragedy befell his life, seeing him bury three children over the period of five years. Though the setting saw some ongoing development from the late 1990s and beyond, his daughter's participation in the “Next” playtesting beginning in 2012 provided Mr. Marsh the opportunity to fully resurrect his material.

Over the last decade or so, much of the Shattered Norns setting material has been published to Mr. Marsh's personal web site, has been used at convention games refereed by Mr. Marsh, and has been issued in collector copies printed, bound and signed by the author. However, this will be the first time any of the material will be available in a formally published edition.

In addition to the material directly related to the adventure, the 48-page book will include listings for more than 20 new monsters penned by Mr. Marsh, as well as information on adventuring in the Plane of Shadow.

Official release dates for electronic and print versions of the book have yet to be determined.

The official Shattered Norns Facebook page is located here >>

The official Shattered Norns Google+ community is located here >>

Some BX Bardic Considerations Day 2: The Steve Marsh Harpist

So back in the day (c.1980-1986), Steve Marsh was working with Gary Gygax on a planes book for AD&D. And as the manuscript was being readied for publication, the Great Gary Ousting occurred, Gary's projects were shelved, and the book never saw publication. Steve readily admits that everything he did then was related to the planes, and one could arguably say that this is and has always been the case. In fact, I urge all of you to dig into the various documents related to his Shattered Norns* and Mistworld settings.

So where am I going with this as it relates to the bard?

Well... in the Shattered Norns setting, there is a city in the Norns world called Porthvælving. It has a mirror on the Shadow Plane known as Liminenerrea. In Liminenerrea, there is a high-level harpist/mage who can assist the PCs in traveling by dream (from the Shadow Plane to the Material Plane). This concept of the harpist (which is a character type Steve is currently using), has its roots in something Steve was working on in the same era as the planes book... a harpist class that he was "collaborating with Gary Gygax on as a possible replacement for Bards for use in a campaign that has a focus on using the planes of reality and on a class that actually uses music for magic."¹

Envisioned by Steve, the harpist is very Orphic, but not necessarily Orphist. The harpist appears in two variants—the song seeker and the song smith (the first with a prime requisite of Charisma, and the latter with a prime requisite of Wisdom). As a harpist rises in level, he or she becomes "in harmony" with a number of muses (the 9 Greek muses, Clio, Urania, etc.), each of which has a particular domain (history, astronomy, etc.), and with a number of graces (the 3 Greek graces, Aglaea, Euphrosyne, and Thalia). Additionally, the harpist gains song levels and uses them to improve his or her skills (which come from the graces). So, yeah... it's pretty Greek. (An interesting counterpoint to the Norse/Celtic/English/French mutt that is the Doug Schwegman bard.)

As the Marsh harpist was written, it seems more like a framework than a complete class. For example, the use of songs is noted as being akin to divine intervention in Empire of the Petal Throne, but there is no "translation" beyond that into something self-contained and usable. There aren't even any examples of how the songs were to be used (other than that they are related to the domains of the muses).

I know that to stop now will be to leave you hanging, but I'll have to admit that this post is "to be continued." I'm waiting to hear back from Mr. Marsh with some additional insights, and with the hope that I'll have enough information to be able to adapt his original harpist vision into a BX/LL character class.

* On a side note, I'll be making a BIG announcement soon regarding the publication of a Shattered Norns adventure!
¹ Per the Shadows Beneath NTRPG Con Scenario Part Two document.

My Formula for the Original Development of OD&D Psionics

With the recent release of the 5th Edition psionics playtest document, I thought I'd take a look back at where psionics came from in the first place.

As many of you know, for the last year-and-a-half or so, I've been working on a psionics adaptation for classic editions of the game (BX/LL). Throughout the process, I've been lucky enough to remain in contact with Steve Marsh, one of the original contributors of psionics to D&D, and I've gotten a great insight on the process for the development of psionics in OD&D.

The gist of the story/process is this...

Before Steve worked at TSR, he would mail things to Gary. One of the things Steve sent was a concept for a mystic character class (based on the tradition of Indian mysticism). This was envisioned as a standard character class that would gain additional mystic powers as they rose in level (much like a MU). [These abilities would inform the majority of the standard psionic disciplines from OD&D.]

Separately, Gary was developing a psionic combatant class—the devine. The devine had attack and defense modes (though I can't speak to how they changed as the devine rose in level). [These modes are obviously the foundation for psionic combat.]

The most interesting insight is the following (based on a comment Steve made a couple of weeks ago on one of my blog posts in reference to the editorial process on Eldritch Wizardry):

"It should be noted that Tim (Kask) got everything as sheets in a large bowl and told to work with it. He did amazing work given the conditions. As for where material came from, Tim would get clues when Gary would put the credits together..."

Yes. Tim had a literal BOWL on his desk that Gary would dump things into as work in progress. [Steve mentioned to me that the "WIP bowl" is something he himself only learned of last month when talking to Tim Kask at the recent NTRPGCon.]

Finally, Tim Kask brought a lot to the psionics party in the forms of the charts and tables. From a Dragonsfoot.org post in 2007:

"I LOVED psionic combat and had great fun devising it with all of its tables and charts. Apparently I was in the tiny minority. I guess mental combat was too esoteric for most D&Ders; not enough of them shared my fondness for the Dr. Strange Marvel comics and Mindflayers."

So here's my interpretation of the formula for how psionics developed for OD&D:
[(Marsh Mystic + Gygax Devine) × Kask Bowl] ÷ (Gygax Input + Kask Editing) = OD&D psionics.

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[On a related note, the illustration that appears at the top of this post is by F.Y. Cory from a Frank Baum book titled The Master Key: An Electrical Fairy Tale, Founded Upon the Mysteries of Electricity and the Optimism of Its Devotees (1901, Bowen-Merrill). I'm thinking the Cory illustration may be the image that appears on the title page of the Basic Psionics Handbook.]

Finalizing my Planar Cosmology & Schematic Drawings

For a while now, I've been contemplating how I would depict the planar cosmology should I follow up the Basic Psionics Handbook with a Basic Guide to the Planes.

As I've looked at some different resources and iterations (and D&D has gone through A LOT of planar iterations), I thought I'd turn to the guy who was supposed to write the original book about planes for D&D—Steve Marsh. (For those of you who aren't familiar with the story, just as the manuscript was being readied for a 1986 publication date, Gygax was forced out of TSR, all Gygax-related projects were immediately shelved, and the book was never published. UGH!)

Mr. Marsh has two different cosmologies he uses: one he uses for D&D games, and one he uses for non-D&D games. The one he uses for D&D relies heavily on his old concept that the various inner planes are like sheets of paper in a box. I've always been enamored of the cubic structure that came from Mr. Marsh's tetrahedral structure of the inner planes (the cubic one is the one that Gary expanded upon in Dragon #73 in his Sorceror's Scroll article for that issue, "The Inner Planes." (You may recall the full color page cutout that you could cut and assemble into the cube.) In Mr. Marsh's drawing from 2005 (the first link above), I really like the idea that the Shadow and Dream planes be part of the cosmology, and that moving "upward" (to the Upper Planes) brings you closer to ideals and positivity, and that moving "downward" (to the Lower Planes) brings you closer to decay and negativity.

Based on the above, I've put together a planar cosmology that I think covers all my bases, and in a way that supports the way I think of the planes interacting. I've also put together a schematic of travel between the planes. This may morph over time, but right now, I'm feeling pretty good about them.

It only took 35 years (New BX Monster: The Intelligent Wooly Rhino)

34 years ago, I purchased my first every RPG product... what has since come to be known as "Cook Blue," though I prefer call it "Cook/Marsh Blue." This was the product that started it all for me (apart from the friend who introduced me to the concept while waiting for a Mardi Gras parade to pass earlier that year). This past year, there were a couple of key highlights during my time at the North Texas RPG Con. One of them was meeting Steve Marsh, the guy who wrote the majority of that very same book. The time he took to sit with me at the con and share his kind words about my Three Castles award-winning Valley of the Five Fires is among my fondest gaming-related memories.

Partly spurred on by that encounter, and partly spurred on my long-intended want of a BX psionics system, I started the quest to do the latter in earnest a few months back. My mystic class, and the inclusion of a "Planar Primer" and "Planar Travel Guide" in my Basic Psionics Handbook, are built on a vision for a plane-traveling mystic class originally penned by Mr. Marsh, but merged with Gary Gygax's devine class by Tim Kask.

"Psionics were added to D&D as the result of two character classes, the mystic and the devine, that were in process. Mystics were finished, Devines (who used the psionic attack and defense modes) were not. Tim Kask cut the material up and put it into Eldritch Wizardry."

Steve Marsh, November 28, 2005, indie-rpgs.com

During the process of writing the Basic Psionics Handbook, I've occasionally emailed Mr. Marsh to get some clarification or deeper information on statements he's made in previous interviews. So when it came time to write up the monsters for the Basic Psionics Handbook, I just had to do something in response to the following...

"Erol Otus mocked my idea of having the Wooly Rhinos be intelligent, so that got canned (I liked the idea of a potentially psionic group of Rhinos in the far north, coordinating the defense of the herd against predators)."

Steve Marsh speaking about writing the Expert Rulebook,
April 11, 2005, Dragonsfoot.org

So I started writing up an intelligent, psionic-using, wooly rhino... and I passed the drafts by Mr. Marsh, who provided great insight regarding his intentions, and specifically mentioned having them use enfilade and defilade tactics in battle. So I re-wrote the listing a couple of times, sent him the final draft a couple of days ago, and received an email yesterday morning which said simply, "Really well done." (At which point I clenched my fist with a "YES!")

Well, it only took 34 years for this vision to come to life (assuming the idea came about the year before the Expert book was published), but without further ado, I present the Steve Marsh-inspired (and Erol Otus-mocked) intelligent, psionic-using wooly rhino for the BX rules. (BTW, the "rho'tha" name was an invention of mine, but the Xhosa-inspired clicking sound in the middle was Steve's idea).

Answers to some of your questions concerning my BX Psionics System and Mystic Class

After my post yesterday, many of you had some good questions that you shared via comments on a couple of different G+ posts. So I've decided to address them here, today, so everyone can see the answers (and the questions).

What about the crown chakra?
I really debated this during the development of my chakra-discipline concept. My feeling was that the first six chakras coincided rather seamlessly with the 6 established psionic disciplines. I have not included the crown as of this moment, but here's my general thinking regarding the 7th (crown) chakra... the powers granted through knowledge of the 7th chakra will be part and parcel of the pathway to becoming immortal (and therefore, are not accessible by most mortal creatures). Will I ever flesh out this "immortal pathway for mystics"? Shakes Magic 8-ball... "Ask again later." For now, it will likely be a reference to the idea and concept of a 7th (crown) chakra, but without mechanics.

Will it support wild psionics?
They way I see it, any system will support wild psionics, because they're wild (and, therefore, outside the context of standard rules). The real question is, "Should it support wild psionics?" My simple answer to that question is, "No, because it goes against the simplicity that I love about BX D&D." To me, wild psionics are like feats and player options... if I wanted them, I'd use 2e. Now, that being said, there will likely be an appendix for determining wild psionic abilities, because I think a lot of DMs would like to include them. Besides, how much space could it take to say, "If your INT and WIS are this, and your class is this, and you roll this on table I, then roll on table II and... BAM! You've got a wild psionic power."

Where does it fit, powerwise between 1st (wild and all over the place) and 2nd edition (too few points to accomplish much of anything compared to even low level casters)?
This is where I think I've really hit the sweet spot... a nice balance between the two. Mystics gain abilities over time (like spellcasters), accessing different types and grades of abilities as they grow in experience level. The Psionic Strength Point (PSP) cost for powers are much more "value-oriented" than 2e (meaning, the PSP costs are generally more reasonable, there are little-to-no "maintenance" costs, and the duration of many of the abilities are more akin to Oe and 1e than the terribly stripped back 2e versions). The real key to the system is the determination of PSPs, which is treated similarly to determining hit points (with the die being used determined by the mystic's WIS score)—a mechanic which is generally more liberal with PSPs than 2e, unless you have a really low WIS score (in which case you have no business choosing to be a mystic anyway).

And now answers to a couple of questions you haven't asked yet, but are bound to...

Why is Mental Class (MC) based on Intelligence rather than Wisdom?
In some contexts, I could definitely see Wisdom related to concepts like Willpower, and using WIS to determine MC might make sense. However, I began by looking deeply at why saving throws vs. psionic attacks in Oe/1e were based on Intelligence*. My take on this is that the concept of "awareness" is related to Intelligence (the ability to "note" things, to me, is a function of knowledge... "knowing what"; this is "reactive" function related to comprehension). Wisdom, by comparison, is more a function of "knowing why" (a "proactive" function which relates to focus and devotion). So in the case of noting a mental attack, it is more important to know "what" (i.e., "an attack") and be reactive, then to know "why" ("because the person attacking you has psionic ability") and be proactive. Therefore, in this system, INT affects defense (reaction) against mental attacks, while WIS affects accuracy and damage (proaction) with mental attacks. (I well expect that many of you will see these two concepts as exactly opposite the way I see them.)

* It's worthy to note the first appearance of the Intelligence-based psionic saving throw dates to the introduction of the Mind Flayer in Strategic Review #1 in the Spring of 1975; this is approximately the same time the mystic class was suggested to EGG by Steve Marsh for the inclusion in Blackmoor; the mystic was ultimately not included in Blackmoor, and psionics was made available to "everyone" except elves in Eldritch Wizardry; I have no confirmation the INT-based save came from Mr. Marsh, and instead assume it was EGG's invention; but I will look for some clarification on this from Mr. Marsh. in the near future.

How can the psionic combat system be "optional"?
Simple. Steve Marsh's original mystic class didn't have psionic combat (just psionic abilities; they were akin to sub-continental Indian cleric). Gary Gygax was working on the "devines" in order to have a psionic combat class. Tim Kask cut and pasted the two into one big kludgey system for Eldritch Wizardry. So... you can obviously have psionic abilities without needing psionic combat... UNLESS you're coming up against psionic monsters (especially psionic monsters from other editions that have psionic attack and defense modes), THEN you need psionic combat. The system I've developed for psionic combat is much simplified from 1e (and more akin to 2e), but easily allows DMs to take existing psionic monsters and use them in a BX game. (This is one of those little things I'm very proud of... a "conversion" system to port monsters in from Oe and 1e.)

BX Psionics Update

I've been plugging along steadily with my BX mystic class and psionics system (along with a ton of other gaming projects and diversions). But, as of this morning, I'm feeling particularly accomplished. I just finished writing the fifth section of the psionic disciplines.

Since I've tried to go back to Steve Marsh's original concept for psionics (mental abilities based on a character class inspired by Indian mystics), the different groups of disciplines (which Steve Winter did a great job of breaking out in 2e's Complete Psionics Handbook) into 6 different chakras (a concept which, IIUC, Steve Marsh originally intended before Tim Kask hacked up the concept in Eldritch Wizardry).

From an email I received from Steve Marsh: "Major powers correspond to the chachras and the traditional powers so that each character had a consistent core."

This led me to attempt to define the disciplines by chakra (my preferred spelling). All chakras are not open to the first level mystic. New chakras are accessed as the mystic attains new experience levels. (This concept will likely seem familiar to those with knowledge of the 2e psionicist.)

The six chakras I've defined (based on metaphysical teachings,
and hopefully true to SM's ideas) correspond pretty well to the 2e groupings...

1. The Root (Psychometabolic) Chakra provides the mystic power over his or her own body, granting control over its physical aspects.

2. The Sacral (Clairsentient) Chakra connects the mystic to knowledge and information, including the past, present, and future.

3. The Plexus (Psychokinetic) Chakra supplies the mystic with dominion over different forms of matter, including its movement and its state of being.

4. The Heart (Telepathic) Chakra provides the mystic the abilities of communication and thought, including control over emotions and desires.

5. The Throat (Psychoportative) Chakra permits the mystic to access other dimensions and allows the mystic to travel through space and time.

6. The Third Eye (Metapsionic) Chakra is accessible only by a mystic who has accessed the the other five. This chakra is interdisciplinary, and allows the mystic to combine the powers and energies of the other chakras.

As of this morning, I finished the fifth group of disciplines (throat/psychoportative). That means the following sections are complete: 1) the mystic class, 2) the first five groups of disciplines, and 3) the "optional" psionic combat system.

So what's left to write? 1) the third eye/metapsionic disciplines, 2) BX stats for psionic monsters (including the psionic creatures I've written for the Creature Compendium), 3) a "Planar Primer", 4) the "Planar Travel Guide" (planar travel and adventure is HUGE part of Steve Marsh's original concept for the mystic class), and 5) a section on creation and use of astras (supernatural weapons and artifacts related to specific deities, which I see as part of extra-planar adventuring).

The book is likely to come in at 40 pages (plus cover), and I feel like I'm about 80% of the way there with the content (even if that leaves a BUNCH of illustrations to do).

No target on publication, but I imagine I'll start reaching out for some playtesting in the next few weeks. Updates to follow.

(BTW, before you ask about the Creature Compendium... I'm close. Just a few more illustrations to finish up. I just haven't had the time to concentrate on them.)

An Historical Dig into the Planes of Existence Pt. II

Today's post is a continuation of my work into developing a planar model as an extension of the mystic class/psionics system I'm working on for BX/LL.

As an extension of yesterday's post digging into the history of planar concepts (as an extension of the mystic class/psionics system I'm working on for BX/LL), today's chart is from the 1925 book A Treatise on Cosmic Fire by Alice A. Bailey. Like Mr. Leadbeater, Ms. Bailey was a theosophist/esoteric philosopher. Also like Mr. Leadbeater, Ms. Bailey suggests the lowest three planes are physical: 1) solids, 2) liquids, 3) gases; and that the next four planes are etheric. From there, Ms. Bailey's planes seem to coincide with Mr. Leadbeater's, with some Western additions to the Eastern naming...

Level	Leadbeater	Bailey
7	Mahaparanirvanic	Divine/ Adi
6	Paranirvanic	Monadic/ Anupadaka
5	Nirvanic	Spiritual/ Atmic
4	Buddhic	Intuitional/ Buddhic
3	Mental	Mental/ Manasic
2	Astral	Emotional/ Astral
1	Physical	Physical

More importantly, I like how this diagram (of the "Kosmic Physical" planes) from Ms. Bailey suggests that gates/portals connect some of these planes directly.

So, at this point, I'm still thinking that...

1) Access to other physical planes from the prime material plane (that is, to the positive material, negative material, elemental planes, etc.) will be through the ethereal plane.

2) Access to the astral plane will be through the ethereal plane. (See this post at Delta's D&D Hotspot, and the comment thread, for discussion of early editions, and whether the astral plane was accessed through the ethereal plane, or accessed directly, from the prime material plane.)

3) Access to the higher planes will be "up" through the "upper" ethereal plane to the "upper" astral plane.

4) Access to the lower planes will be "down" through the "lower" ethereal plane to the "lower" astral plane.

5) Moving to the outer edges of the physical plane accesses the "dreamlands"; moving "up" from the dreamlands access deep dreams, and moving "down" from the dreamlands accesses nightmares. (This is a concept I'm adapting from Steve Marsh's current model of the planes... but that's a whole 'nother post.)

An Historical Dig into the Planes of Existence

For some additional context on today's post, see this post (and its comment thread) at Delta's D&D Hotspot regarding the spell Contact Other Plane.

I was doing some digging around to older resources on concepts of the planes of existence (as an extension of the mystic class/psionics system I'm working on for BX/LL) and came across a couple of things. First, the writings of the Theosopher Charles W. Leadbeater who really launched the whole theosophy/metaphysics field around 1900. He (along with Annie Besant) is credited with systemizing the planes in his writings. Most of what has come afterward (entire 20th century and beyond) seems to be based (at least in part) on his writings. While his concepts are based on some older Hermetic thoughts (older Egyptian and Greek philosophies), he's the one who (at least in a modern context) suggests concepts like astral travel. This page (at left) from his 1903 book "Man Visible and Invisible" seems to lay out the concept that the astral plane is accessed by means of etheric double.

The Kybalion (by "The Three Initiates," 1912) seems to be the other "go to" theosophic book on the planes. The second chapter, ("The Principle of Correspondence") embodies the idea that there is always a correspondence between the laws of phenomena of the various "planes" of being and life (p.28). This text lists the "Plane of Ethereal Substance" as the 4th sub-plane of the 7 minor physical planes (essentially the same place that Leadbeater puts it). But the Kybalion's ethereal plane itself consists of 7 sub-planes... "This Ethereal Substance forms a connecting link between Matter (so-called) and Energy, and partakes of the nature of each. The Hermetic Teachings, however, instruct that this plane has seven sub-divisions (as have all of the Minor Planes), and that in fact there are seven ethers, instead of but one."

So where am I going with this?

Well, as I stated at the beginning of this post, I'm trying to lay out some ground rules (but, honestly, little more than that, for the sake of fearing being too restrictive and cumbersome) for a "planar travel" appendix to the mystic class/psionics ruleset I'm developing for BX/LL (which is coming along swimmingly, BTW, thanks to some great insight I graciously received from Steve Marsh... the nearly-uncredited genius behind a lot of the planar concepts of D&D¹). I've been trying to decide what rules are "givens," and which things are better left to DMs to develop themselves. Based on the above, I think I'm going to stick with the basic concept that one must access the ethereal plane before accessing the astral, even though both the 1e PHB version of the diagram of the planes (and it's predecessor from Dragon Magazine #8, pictured below) suggest that the Astral plane (area 9, in light blue) can be accessed directly from the Prime Material plane (area 1, in purple). This physical-to-ethereal-to-astral model seems to support the "higher consciousness" aspect of the mystic class I'm developing. The ethereal plane will still access all the other material planes (e.g., the elemental planes, and things like the positive and negative material planes, should I keep those "as is"). It's the astral plane and beyond that I'm still contemplating.

But, then again, I might decide to abandon this structure altogether.

There are some other ideas I'm toying with, so I'm sure there will be more posts to come.



¹ "When ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS was still in its earliest conceptual stage, Steve Marsh and I exchanged considerable correspondence pertaining to the planes." Gary Gygax, "The Sorcerer's Scroll," Dragon Magazine 38 (Vol. IV, No. 6), December 1979.

BX/LL: Optional Rules for Killing Vampires

I've been reading some interviews with Steve Marsh who did the bulk of the writing on the Expert Rulebook (amazing how we remember/credit the editors of such projects rather than the folks who do the bulk of the writing, no offense meant to Mr. Cook). Anyway, what Steve suggested is that particularly strong vampires (12HD+?) shouldn't be so easy to kill. The 1e MM gives some details regarding sunlight damage by round, and a note that staking a vampire only kills a vampire as long as the stake remains in the vampire (remove the stake, the vampire returns to life), so you have to remove its head and fill it with holy wafers. Obviously, this is very AD&D (BX would NEVER mention anything like holy wafers).

What follows (below the quotes from Steve Marsh) are my interpretations for optional rules on dealing with vampires in BX/LL D&D (though I suppose it could also be used for all the other early editions as well, without much issue).

From an ongoing Dragonsfoot Forum Discussion
with Steve Marsh, circa 2005/2006:

"I wanted vampires to require different steps to kill them, basically each step reducing the number of hit dice they had: so stake a vampire, reduce it by 12 hit dice. If it is 12 or less, staking it reduces it to dust. More than 12, then you need to add a step, such as cutting off its head, or stuffing the head with garlic, or burning the whole thing and burying the ashes at a cross roads). -Sat Jun 24, 2006 1:48 am

"I also wanted to do a step reduction for Vampires. Stake them - 10hd. Cut off the head -6 hd. Stuff head with garlic -4 hd. Bury at cross roads, double hit dice reduction. That way, to kill a vampire really dead (so it would stay dead) would require various parts of the classic treatment depending on how powerful it was." -Mon Apr 11, 2005 5:43 pm

Optional Rules for Killing Vampires (Long Version)

For all of the following methods, a vampire that has lost HD (i.e., "levels") may only regenerate 1HD per day, and my only regenerate a total number of hit points that does not exceed his relative total per his current HD. Reducing a vampire to 0 (or fewer) HD and 0 (or fewer) hp permanently turns the vampire to dust.

Sunlight: If exposed to direct sunlight while conscious and if his movement is not restricted (e.g., the vampire may not be tied down), the vampire must save vs. death ray for each round of exposure or lose 1HD and a relative number of hp (e.g., a vampire with 10HD and 80hp will lose 1HD and 8hp). If exposed to direct sunlight while unconscious, or while movement is restricted, the vampire automatically takes loses 1HD and a relative number of hp (no saving throw).

Wooden Stake: A wooden stake in a vampire's heart immediately reduces the vampire by 10HD and a relative number of hit points. If the stake is removed before the vampire has been reduced to 0hp, the vampire will regenerate HD and hp as prescribed above.

Silvered Weapon: A silvered blade in a vampire's heart reduces a vampire by 1HD and a relative number of hit points for each round it remains lodged there. If the silvered blade is removed before the vampire has been reduced to 0hp, the vampire will regenerate HD and hp as prescribed above. A silvered blade may not be lodged into a vampires heart if the vampire is already staked. Likewise, a wooden stake may not be lodged into a vampires heart if a silvered blade has already been lodged there.

Fire: Damage to a vampire by fire deals hp damage only, and does not reduce the vampire's HD.

Removing a Vampire's Head: Cutting off the head of a vampire reduces it by 6HD and relative number of hp. If the vampire's head is returned to it's proper place atop the body before the vampire is reduced to 0hp, it will re-attach itself in 24 hours. Stuffing the head with garlic lowers the vampire by an additional 1HD, and prevents the head from being able to re-attach itself (unless the garlic is removed first).

Burying the Vampire at a Crossroads: If the vampire is buried face down at a crossroads, any HD loss and hp damage is automatically doubled, once the dirt over the coffin has been packed down and the site is blessed by a cleric.


Optional Rules for Killing Vampires (Short Version)

Sunlight: Exposure to direct sunlight reduces a vampire by 1HD for each round of exposure (no saving throw).

Wooden Stake: A wooden stake in a vampire's heart immediately reduces the vampire by 10HD.

Silvered Weapon: A silvered blade in a vampire's heart reduces the vampire by 1HD for each round it remains lodged there.

Fire: Vampires take normal damage from fire.

Removing a Vampire's Head: Cutting off the head of a vampire reduces it by 6HD. Stuffing the head with garlic lowers the vampire by an additional 1HD.

Burying the Vampire at a Crossroads: Burying a vampire at a crossroads immediately doubles any HD and hp loss.

A Recap of My Time at the NTRPG Con

My time at this year's con actually started nearly a week before. I was doing things like getting print copies together of Dragon Horde zines #1 and #2 (BTW, #2 will be available this coming Monday at RPGNow, and print will be available on both starting the same day), picking up the 2nd print run of the d30 Sandbox Companion from the printer (I do these in batches of 50), getting my sign from FastSigns, etc.

Wednesday night, I trucked it over for the pre-con events. There was some sort of HP event finishing up at the hotel, so instead of being in the atrium, the pre-con events were relegated to wherever space could be found. Our game of Battle Royal (under the direction of Frank Mentzer) took place in the bar (which was about as noisy as you'd expect, being full of patrons, and what with the Hewlett Packard karaoke festivities echoing from the nearby ballroom). But we did our best. Battle Royal is a sort of mix of traditional wargaming and RPGs. Each team was an identical group of D&D PCs which battle it out in an ever-changing arena until you capture the ring and return it to your starting pit, or you kill the other team (whichever comes first). We got a late start (several of the special guests inbound flights were delayed, including Frank's), I was not staying in the hotel that night, and had a 45 minute drive home, so I cut out about 12:30. They didn't go much longer after I left. Although the battle didn't finish, the arena was in a position such that everyone was trapped/blocked from where they needed to be (and who knows how long it would have been until the walls moved to allow passage).

Thursday morning started with me loading up the truck and heading back across town just around lunch time to get my table set up. I got to spend a good part of the afternoon at the table, meeting folks and hawking my wares. Then, Thursday night meant Part I of "Night's Dark Terror" with Steve Winter. It's always a slow start at con games, as all the players get the feel for each other. And "Night's Dark Terror" started simply and slowly enough, but had a nice rhythm by the end of the night, to be continued with Part II on Saturday morning.

Friday morning was my obligatory Metamorphosis Alpha game with Jim Ward. If you recall the events of last year, I died in one Jim Ward game, and survived in the other. It was the shame of surviving like a chicken last year that sparked my thought for this year's game... I would alternate;y be brave and cowardly (I wrote it off to a split personality). This allowed me to have fun doing stupid stuff (remember, Jim doesn't kill characters, characters kill themselves) and still have a chance of surviving. It was a blast, and I survived (though barely). I know take a moment of silence to remember my fellow coming-of-age tribesmen who perished in the attempt to prove themselves worthy as adults in the tribe.

Friday night was easily my most anticipated game of the con this year... Frank Mentzer's 1974 OD&D game. We relived the experience of the dawn of D&D, including monsters we had not memorized from the Monster Manual, the inclusion of hobbits before they were an intellectual property concern, and character classes that did not include the thief. Long story short, we investigated a small cave/dungeon complex with hobgoblins and goblins, and faced a final battle with an animated table (yes, an animated table). Earlier in the game, my magic user had found a diagram of the table with notes in a strange language. And when I discovered the diagram in a book, the conversation went something like this...

Me (to other characters): "Should I use my read languages spell now or later?"
Frank (smiling, astounded): "You actually chose read languages?

Look, the spell wouldn't have been on the spell list, even way back then, if it didn't get used. 2-out-of-3 of the adventures I write almost require the ability to read languages. It's a good back pocket spell, even if your 2nd-level magic user only gets 2 spells (the other was a sleep spell that was pretty much necessary). So I did actually choose read languages, and I showed my character sheet to prove it. Turns out, that was the saving grace for our party. When we met the table (and it started attacking, doing up to 4 strikes per round), and I read the diagram, Frank pulled me aside to let me know that all I could make out was that the table was possessed by elemental evil. I related that to the party and we attacked accordingly. Once we saw what the cleric's holy water did, and one of the fighter's oil/torch attack, getting the air (from a small device we retrieved earlier) and dirt (scraped from a couple of boots) returned the table to being just... well... a table. The "Table of the Elements." (Yes! That's the goofiness that, to me, is woven through the earliest days of D&D). Easily one of the coolest experiences I've ever had gaming. And it's got me jonesing to run a White Box game or two.

Saturday morning was Part II of "Night's Dark Terror" with Steve Winter again. No need to go into details here. It was a good game, and the module is very cool, has some great plot points, and some very interesting encounters. When I got home from the con to find out this is the inspiration for the starter adventure for D&D5, it does not surprise me.

Saturday afternoon was the auction and presentation of the Three Castles award (which I am still overwhelmed with having won). Saturday night was to be Shiverwhen with Michael Curtis. But only about half the group showed up, and we were all pretty beat. So we mutually agreed to forego the gaming. The activity moved to the bar with Welbo, Eric Tenkar, Erik's wife Rachel, James Aulds and myself having beers and shooting the shit and relaxing.

No Sunday morning gaming for me, but I did get to sit at the table with my wife Terri, and meet a few more folks, sell a few additional copies of Valley of the Five Fires, and then pack up and head home (after lunch at my wife's favorite Tex-Mex place as a "thank you" for her time helping me at the con").

Among the notable conversations I had while sitting at the table... Steve Marsh and J. Eric Holmes's son Chris. Both very cool. Plenty of time talking with others as well, though I wish I'd gotten to game with Tim Snider.

Okay, that's about all I've got for now, except that I left the con with a couple of new project ideas. More to come as they may/may not develop.

More thoughts toward a BX version of psionics...

Triarchy (2005) by Jeroen van Valkenburg

About 1-1/2 years ago, I made a post mentioning that I wanted to try to find a BX psionics solution. Let's face it, OD&D and AD&D psionics is unwieldy, cumbersome, and downright confusing. More importantly, there is nothing about the psionic system in those systems that feels anything at all like normal combat in D&D. But I can't blame Steve Marsh (who is co-credited with Brian Blume for psionics' as it appears in Eldritch Wizardry). In a 2009 interview with Grognardia, Steve lamented, "a character class I designed was taken apart and turned into the psionic powers... I wanted a character class, but the editor decided that the abilities belonged available to everyone, except for elves."

IMO, psionics (for PCs) were most successful in older editions when treated as part of a character class. The Psionicist character class was introduced in Dragon Magazine #7 (in an article by Arthur Collins), and re-worked/re-introduced by Steve Winter in AD&D2's The Complete Psionics Handbook. But regardless of how successful these may or may not have been, they did not address an underlying issue... the system of psionics inherited from AD&D by way of OD&D is simply "unlike" what players expect in D&D — especially BX D&D.

So I've been putting some thoughts against this for the last week, and was thinking, "How do I make this as familiar as possible for BX players who avoid adapting AD&D psionics like the plague because it's so... so... whatever it is." So here's where I've landed (for now)...

Psionics is a class-based ability (like magic), with psionicists getting more abilities with each level gained. Psionicists are human (the same way that in the BX-context MUs and clerics are only human) who use d4s to determine hit points, can't wear any armor or carry a shield, and may use only a dagger (and make their physical attack rolls using the MU attack tables). Most importantly, in keeping with the BX spirit, the minimum WIS and INT scores are 9 (though bonus XPs are rewarded for high Wisdom AND Intelligence scores). WAIT! What's that you say? Psionic characters with Wisdom and Intelligence scores of 9? Yes. That's what I said, and here's why...

The number of Wisdom points a character has directly affects the number of Psionic Energy Points the character gains at each level — e.g., characters with a WIS of 16-17 get twice as many PEPs per level as characters with a WIS of 9-12, and high levels that gives wiser characters a deathly advantage; choosing to be a psionicist with that low of a Wisdom score would just be a VERY poor decision.

The number of Intelligence points a character has directly affects their ability to defend against psionic attacks expressed as Mental Class (or MC). "What's Mental Class?" you ask? Well, it's sort of like Armor Class for the mind (based on the character's INT, with bonuses for psionic users based on level/HD). Which brings us to the major innovation in simplifying this system...

All mental attacks (vs. psionic or non-psionic characters) are made using a single Mental Attack Table (which looks like any other D&D attack table)!!! The various combinations of psionic attack and defense modes simply become modifiers "to hit" on the attack table. Non-psionic characters get a saving throw based on their INT (like OD&D) and psionic characters lose PEPs based on the type of attack/defense and the level of two psionic parties involved.

That's all I've got so far, but I feel good about where it's going.