And Now... HYPERBOREA! Plus Character Sheet...

A Shaman I rolled up

Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, H.P. Lovecraft, these are the three main authors (among a few others) that Jeffrey P. Talanian's, HYPERBOREA, (formerly, Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers Of...) seeks to emulate using a chassis that lies somewhere between B/X and AD&D.

This is technically the third edition of this game which was first published as a box set in 2013, then as a massive hardback tome in 2017. I own neither of those two editions, though, I was aware of them. By the time this game really captured my attention, the first two editions were out of print and rare. I had managed to view a PDF of the 2nd edition (back when such a thing was easier) and what stuck in my head were these cool pencil sketches... more on that below. A perfectly-bound, paperback Player's Manual, also came into existence not too long ago, which I was all set to buy, when I discovered that a 3rd edition was imminent. That 3rd edition kickstarted about a year ago, the result of which are the handsome books you see above.

Physically each book is a little over 300 pages (Player's Manual and Referee's Manual.) Both covers have this cool matte feel to them and the interior pages are cream colored, non-glossy and very easy to read. The layout is clean, well organized and full of art (some great, some not-so great.) Basically, these are nice books. (Personally, I would've preferred a single giant tome, like the 2nd Edition.)

Also pictured above is the soft-cover atlas of the HYPERBOREAN world -- which exists far into the future, is shaped like a planetary-sized hex, and orbits somewhere out near Saturn around a now dying, red sun. This is sword & sorcery for the most part, but there are elements of sword & science such as you see on the above Player's Manual cover and in the picture below. Obviously it's up to you if you want your knightly warrior to wield a ray-gun (aside from my own anomalous adventure, DATE OF EXPIRATION, it's usually not my thing) Setting aside, it's the system that I care most about...

And this system is fairly standard D&D -- classes, hit points, armor class, saving throws, Vancian-ish Magic, etc. The rules are not quite as basic as B/X, yet not as detailed as AD&D. 

Where HYPERBOREA is neither basic or advanced, is how it handles races. Here, with the exceptions of Atlantean and Hyperborean (who are technically not humans) you only play as humans. The races are as follows:

• Common
• Amazon
• Atlantean
• Esquimaux
• Hyperborean
• Ixian
• Kelt
• Kimmerian
• Kimmer-Kelt
• Pict
• Pict (Half-Blood)
• Viking
• Anglo-Saxon
• Carolingian Frank
• Esquimaux-Ixian
• Greek
• Lapp
• Lemurian
• Moor
• Mu
• Oon
• Roman
• Tlingit
• Yakut

Most of you will have a fair idea of the gist of these races (from Howard, Smith, etc.) And though there are plenty of tables to determine your character's height, weight, eye color, hair color, complexion, age, and name, your race offers ZERO actual in-game benefits, even if you're playing an Atlantean or Hyperborean. Race is merely a descriptor, fluff. This is BORING (especially after reviewing Deathstalkers) but I get it: Beware the woke twitter mob. State that one type of human is better at something than another, even in a FANTASY setting, and all Hell breaks loose. 

Of course, there's nothing from stopping you from adding Demi-Humans and/or bonus/penalties to your HYPERBOREAN game...

Classes. If you love lots of classes (and I love lots of classes) you'll be happy: 4 main classes with 22 sub-classes (some of the names though... ugh!)

• Fighter
• Barbarian 
• Berserker 
• Cataphract (Need eye surgery? Knight would be better)
• Huntsman (Hunter is better)
• Paladin (Champion perhaps? Seems like sword & sorcery has Champions)
• Ranger
• Warlock
• Magician
• Cryomancer
• Illusionist
• Necromancer
• Pryomancer
• Witch
• Cleric
• Druid
• Monk
• Priest
• Runegraver
• Shaman
• Thief
• Assassin
• Bard
• Legerdemainist (thief/magician) --who wants to say this? (how about Trickster?)
• Purloiner (thief/cleric, Cultist or Zealot is better)
• Scout

These classes are generally well designed and do pretty much what you'd want them to. Occasionally, there's a fluff ability, like horsemanship or survival, which are only as useful as the DM wants them to be. I will always prefer actual mechanics.

Classes are listed to level 12. They all have the same single saving-throw progression, staring at 16 and improving by 1 every other level to 11 at 12th level. So, even at 12th level, your saves will only hover around 50%, which is kind of rough for a seasoned sword & sorcery protagonist. Each class also receives two +2 bonuses to specific saves, which are the classic five renamed to:

• Death
• Transformation
• Device
• Avoidance
• Sorcery

Dexterity can also improve Avoidance, and Constitution and Wisdom can improve specific situations like poison and willpower, respectively. So, the saving throw system is an amalgamation, ranging from a single save to five and beyond.

Your "to-hit" bonus is called fighting and progresses logically, as opposed to the weird progression of B/X.

Armor Class is descending. Easily fixed if not your thing.

Also, medium and heavy armors offer a bit of damage resistance, 1 or 2 points.

Attribute checks, called tests are done on 1d6 and are primarily based on the classic open doors mechanic. These are things such as opening stuck doors, balancing on a beam, or swimming across a lake. There are also extraordinary feats which are based on the old bend bars/lift gates mechanic, a % roll. Tougher challenges, lower rates of success. Mental attributes do not have tests or feats as the author deems there are too many variables to consider.

The optional concentration check for spell-casters is very cool: If you take damage while casting, roll 3d6 + damage taken. If you roll under your casting attribute score (intelligence or wisdom) your spell succeeds, otherwise, not.

One thing HYPERBOREA does take from AD&D is multiple attacks per round in the form of 3/2 at 7th level for fighters. This can improve to 2/2 and 5/2 with weapon/grand mastery (depending on the weapon.) For the uninitiated, 3/2 means two attacks every other round. This was always clumsy in practice, in my experience. Just give them 2 attacks, then 3, and be done with it. Or give them a damage bonus, or both of these things. Forget the fractions.

Some other thoughts...

• Thieves are better at finding secret doors than everybody else... why haven't I seen that before? Thief skills use the d12 and they start out fairly competent. Actually, the d12 gets a lot of love in HYPERBOREA.
• Witches' are very "witchy," they brew things, make effigies, have useful familiars and actually ride brooms! -- eventually.
• Priests get more spells than any other class.
• Clerics use spells like magicians do, meaning, all spells of a level aren't available to them.
• Fighters are fairly lame, as usual, sure they get multiple attacks vs 1 HD foes, so they'll kick-ass if you're only fighting orcs (btw, HYPERBOREAN orcs are unabashedly EVIL, this game gets my vote for that alone.) Cleave/damage bonus/carry-over damage would be better, again, easy to house-rule these types of things.)
• Huntsman, Ranger, and Scout are kind of similar.
• The Runegraver seems more like a concept class that would appear in someone's zine.
• The Shaman is exactly what a Shaman should be. Very well done here.
• Assassins have to jump through one-too-many hoops to assassinate someone. I love assassins, don't gimp them.
• The Warlock is basically the Elf (designed better) if you wanted to play one.  
• Assassins, Huntsmen, and Shamans can harvest venom from slain monsters. Anyone else can try, but these classes are much better at it. Very cool, but it's a static ability that oddly doesn't increase with levels.
• Simple Alchemy rules exist to brew potions, decoctions, and poison, for most spell-casters. Also very cool.
• Tactical combat options exist, though I feel they would mostly be ignored (or abused.) Examples are shield-bash, pommel strike, two-weapon fighting. Some are cool though.

Art is important to me...

Questionable decisions were made with art in this version, which represents a step back. Thankfully, Ian Baggley's awesome sketches still remain, if not front and center, where they belong.

Baggley Barbarian

Baggley Berserker

Baggley Warlock

Baggley Shaman

Baggley Bard (coolest Bard I've ever seen)

The Monsters...

No dragons. Kind of weird, as dragons do exist in sword & sorcery, but... ok, they're easy to add. I understand not wanting D&D's chromatic dragons, but random tables to determine dragon color, breath, HD, and other abilities would have been cool, sort of a "create your own dragon" type of thing. Otherwise, HYPERBOREA has one of the best done bestiary sections out there. Good art, good write-ups, a bit of grit (these are not WoTC/Disney monsters.) Stat blocks have the perfect balance of information. I do, however, have one complaint: There are no random encounter tables. What?!? 

Nice Succubus! (But they don't drain levels or stats, why not?)

Magic Items and spells are a combination of the usual fare with new additions. Recognize this?

Round here we call this a Glaive

HYPERBOREA's a solid game which strikes a nice balance between simplicity and detail. It definitely evokes that sword & sorcery feel and if the I.P. wasn't so closely guarded (which I understand) it could easily contend with OSE as the go-to system for many. All-in-all, an excellent game with some cool ideas that make you wonder, why didn't I think of that? 

And here is the character sheet I made for it. The official character sheet is alright, but you know me... 

HYPERBOREA Character Sheet

  

B/X Character Sheet

What started out as sloppy ink-scratch turned out nice.

B/X is King.

The best version of D&D ever made.

AD&D 1st Edition is a VERY close second because of its almost arcane quality and the Dungeon Masters Guide is pure gold. 

B/X is D&D distilled to perfection. 

But you already know this.

B/X Character Sheet

Example of the sheet in use, giving the Elf a bit of love with one of the best 3d6 down-the-lines ever!

Better Prime Requisite Perks

Still here folks...

Classic B/X Prime Requisite perks are a +5% XP modifier for scores 13-15 and a +10% XP modifier for scores 16-18.

I've always completely ignored this and never gamed with anyone that didn't.

The last thing we wanted to do was bust out the calculator when dishing out XP.

Try something like this instead. It's easier, more fun, and gives your character an equivalent and tangible edge during actual play as opposed to an end of the night calculation.

On the following tables, you get 1 roll if your Prime Requisite is 13-15, and 2 rolls if it is 16-18. These rolls take place at character creation and never again. These charts reflect positive Prime Requisites, but, can easily be reversed for negative scores. If your Prime Requisite increases or decreases during play, add or subtract these bonuses as needed.

Elves can roll on either the Fighter or Magic-User tables. 

Roll 1d4...

Fighters/Dwarves/Halflings/Elves

1. +1 to-hit

2. +1 to armor class

3. +2 hit points

4. +1 to damage

Clerics

1. +1 to turning undead

2. +2 hit points healed with curing spells

3. +1 hit point

4. bonus 1st level spell (when available)

Magic-Users/Elves

1. bonus 1st level spell

2. +1 save vs. spells

3. targets are -1 save against your spells

4. bonus 2nd level spell (when available)

Thieves

1. +5% to all percentile thief skills

2. +1 to-hit with back-stab 

3. +2 to back-stab damage 

4. +1 to a single saving throw category

Customize Your Dragons!

Use these tables to customize Dragons and make them unique to your campaign world.

Note:  The first descriptor is regional and that's primarily up to you----It's your game, where are they from?  Real-world regional examples are:  English, Mongolian, Scandinavian, Saharan, Pacific, Carpathian, Himalayan, Atlantic, etc. The first table has generic regions if you prefer.  Choose which tables to roll on or roll on them all.  Don't be afraid to re-roll results you don't like.  In a matter of moments you should have something much more interesting than say, blue.

Results will look something like this:

Desert Gray Razor-Back (similar to a Young White, +2 Hit Dice; breathes an Acidic Cloud, animal-intelligence, chaotic, hoards only coins, 400 years old, Lairs in Ruins.)

Solamnian Yellow Mud-Mane (similar to an Adult Red, +1 Hit Dice; breathes Lines of Fire or Acid, average-intelligence, neutral, half the standard treasure, 700 years old, never sleeps, Lairs near Rivers.)

Coastal Copper-Fang (similar to a Young Green, -1 Hit Dice, breathes a Cone of Lightning, low-intelligence, chaotic, hoards only bones, 600 years old, has a tail like a Manticore, Lairs in a Swamp.)

Generic Regions, Roll 1d12...
1.  Northern
2.  Polar
3.  Desert
4.  Southern
5.  Eastern
6.  Highland
7.  Western
8.  Coastal
9.  Lowland
10.  Astral
11.  Abyssal
12.  Celestial

Color, Roll d%...
    1-3.  White
    4-6.  Golden
    7-9.  Gray
10-12.  Albino
13-15.  Red
16-18.  Silver
19-21.  Dark
22-24.  Tanned
25-27.  Bronze
28-30.  Brown
31-33.  Yellow
34-36.  Purple
37-39.  Cyan
40-42.  Black
43-45.  Bright
46-48.  Onyx
49-51.  Blue
52-54.  Spotted
55-57.  Jade
58-60.  Ebon
61-63.  Pink
64-66.  Amber
67-69.  Brass
70-72.  Orange
73-75.  Striped
76-78.  Copper
79-81.  Green
82-84.  Ivory
85-87.  Ochre
88-90.  Pale
91-93.  Azure
94-96.  Violet
97-99.  Rustic
   100.  Platinum

Descriptive Features, Roll 1d20 Once or Twice (the first column is optional)...
1.  Ridge- /  Claw
2.  Razor-/  Tail
3.  Shadow- /  Thrasher
4.  Great- /  Wing
5.  Long- /  Wyrm
6.  Mud- /  Scale
7.  Blood- /  Back
8.  Hook- /  Biter
9.  Saber- /  Neck
10.  Day- /  Glider
11.  Swift- /  Horn
12.  King- /  Mane
13.  Thunder- /  Serpent
14.  Doom- /  Drake
15.  Sin- /  Raker
16.  Lean- /  Screamer
17.  Sky- /  Stalker
18.  Iron- /  Fang
19.  Moon- /  Cutter
20.  Night- /  Tooth

Stats Similar To, Roll 1d20...
1.  Red, Young
2.           Adult
3.           Ancient
4.  Green, Young
5.              Adult
6.              Ancient
7.  Black, Young
8.              Adult
9.              Ancient
10.  White, Young
11.              Adult
12.              Ancient
13.  Blue, Young
14.            Adult
15.            Ancient
16.  Gold, Young
17.            Adult
18.            Ancient
19-20.  Choose

Hit Dice Adjustment, Roll 1d4...
1.  -2
2.  -1
3.  +1
4.  +2

Breath Weapon, Roll 1d6...
1.  Fire
2.  Poison Gas
3.  Ice
4.  Lightning
5.  Acid
6.  Fire + Another Roll

Breath Shape, Roll 1d6...
1-2.  Line
3.4.  Cone
5-6.  Cloud

Alignment, Roll 1d6...
1-2.  Lawful
3-4.  Neutral
5-6.  Chaotic

Intelligence, Roll 1d8...
1.  Animal
2.  Low
3-5.  Average
6.  High  (Magic-User level 1-4, roll 1d4)
7.  Genius  (Magic-User level 5-8, roll 1d4)
8.  Supra-Genius  (Magic-User level 5-8, roll 1d4, and Cleric level 1d4.)

Unusual Features, Roll 1d12...
1.  Arm-less, it's wings are it's arms, no claw attacks, wing attacks do an extra damage die.
2.  Two sets of wings, can fly twice as fast.
3.  1d6 extra eyes, has advantage on initiative and stealth against it has disadvantage.
4.  Extra pair of arms, gets twice the number of claw attacks.
5.  Two tails, two tail attacks.
6.  Manticore tail.
7.  Serpentine body, agile, +2 to Armor Class.
8.  Wingless (50% chance it can still fly.)
9.  Gaze petrifies.
10.  Wyvern tail.
11.  Displaced in space/time, +4 to Armor Class.
12.  Never sleeps.

Treasure Hoard, Roll 1d20...
1.  None, doesn't hoard, could care less.
2.  Only Coins.
3.  Only Gems and Jewelry
4.  Only Weapons and Armor.
5.  Only Mundane Items.
6.  Only Art Objects.
7.  Only Magic Items.
8.  Only Books.
9.  Only Bones.
10.  Half Standard Treasure.
11.  Double Standard Treasure.
12-20.  Standard Treasure.

Lairs in/on/near, Roll 1d20...
1.  Mountaintop
2.  Colossal Web
3.  Cloud
4.  Swamp
5.  Dungeon
6.  Waterfall
7.  Ruins
8.  Jungle
9.  Canyon
10.  Island
11.  Glacier
12.  River
13.  Forest
14.  Cliff
15.  Lake
16.  Moon
17.  Dune
18.  Sea
19.  God Corpse
20.  Volcano

To determine the dragon's age roll 2d6 x 100.

Remember to adjust XP based on additional Hit Dice and abilities.

...And Hear the Lamentations of The Flame Princess

This has to be one of my better drawings.....4 years ago, wow.

Lamentations of the Flame Princess.  When I first encountered this game I wasn't quite in tune with the OSR.  I remember flipping through the Grindhouse Edition and thinking WTF???

I didn't buy it.

Later, I flipped through A Red and Pleasant Land and thought, WTF???

I didn't buy it.

Eventually the genius and creativity of the OSR hit me.  Many years, in vain, I spent searching for the perfect system (not limited to D&D) when I realized that anything I wanted to do, can be done with some version of an earlier system.  All of those thick tomes I'd been collecting, collectively became obsolete.

The OSR is packed with awesome stuff.  It has changed how I view (and purchase) RPGs.  If all gaming companies suddenly disappeared, gaming would not.  The OSR would thrive.  The DIY genie was out of the bottle long before I ever took notice.

What I like about LotFP:

• D6 skills.  While LotFP didn't exactly invent this, it utilizes it nicely.
• Turn Undead as a spell.  I didn't like this at first, but now I do. 
• No fireball or lightning bolt.  Magic-Users feel more like practitioners of Black Magic as opposed to super-heroes blasting their way through the dungeon.
• An Encumbrance system that you might actually use.
• A cool Language system.  You don't know what languages you speak until you encounter them (a little meta-gamey, but cool.)
• Truly dangerous Summoning rules.
• Incredible Books (ok, some are strange as fuck.)   I now own many of them after initially saying, WTF.

The official LotFP character sheet is a good one and so is the modified Veins of the Earth sheet.  (I consider Veins of the Earth to be one of the best gaming books ever made.)   For the hell of it, I modified my Rynath OSR sheet to LotFP specs.  It's incomplete -- no encumbrance stuff, but that's ok.  I did this awhile ago as more of a tribute.

Lamentations of the Flame Princess Character Sheet

Been blogging for a year now.

Good times.

Clerics and Ascension

Would you play a character if you knew there was an ever increasing chance, when leveling up, that something "off-screen" could remove that character from play?

I've been toying with the notion that as a character levels up, background (campaign) forces would ultimately retire that character from play.  High level characters would fade away (or burn out) into myth and legend.  The campaign would remain relatively low powered and gritty.  Granted, most campaigns fizzle out long before this anyway; most aren't much more than one-shots.  But damn, if you knew your character might have a bad-ass ending, you might actually look forward to it.

Fighters may become generals or lords of a realm or simply disappear, fate unknown, or suffer a sad, crippling injury.  Thieves could become guild-masters, or finally get "taken out" by assassins.  Wizards vanish to other worlds or transform into something not human and not playable or their tower explodes due to some mystical experiment, or they go mad.  Clerics could ascend...

What if, starting at say, 5th level??, 9th level??, your Cleric had a certain percentage chance of ascending, being called home to their deity to serve a higher purpose?  So you roll the dice...5%, 10%???...and if you roll below that number, you now begin your path to Ascension.  First, you become a Saint, for whatever you want that to mean--you glow, have a halo, etc., perhaps gain an ability.  Every level thereafter, you have an ever increasing chance of Ascension.

If you roll Ascension you don't immediately ascend; it will be triggered during play.  You could maybe set a target of 3 critical rolls.  The third time that you happen to roll a 20 during an intense, most likely combat situation, something thoroughly dramatic happens, such as all foes present are immediately struck down by your holy magnificence, after which, the rest of the party watches stunned, as you gloriously rise up and away, disappearing from the mortal world forever.

It would be memorable.

But now you have to roll up a new character.

Players would have to agree, from the beginning, that such a thing is possible.

This sort of reminds me of the Juicer Class from Rifts.  If you're not familiar, Juicers are chemically enhanced super-soldiers that live a maximum of 8 years (as a Juicer) -- no exceptions.  Rifts never came up with a mechanic for this though (at least not that I'm aware of, perhaps it's in the book, Juicer Uprising), but Savage Rifts has a mechanic for it.  The notion of playing a character with a limited life-span, by default, adds a certain level of excitement to the game.

Of course, one could argue that every character in the OSR already has a limited life-span......

Here's an example focusing on Lawful Clerics (I'll address Chaotic Clerics Descending / Damnation some other time and perhaps similar rules for the other classes)

Ascension

Starting at 7th level, roll for Sainthood (15% chance which increases by 10% per level thereafter)

If Sainthood is attained, roll 1d6 on the following table for something beneficial:

1. Gain 1d6 extra Hit Points.
2. Gain +2 Charisma (is that a Halo I see...?).
3. Heal and extra 2d4 Hit Points when casting cure spells.
4. Turn Undead as 2 level higher.
5. +2 to all Saving Throws
6. +3 to all damage vs. Chaos(evil).

Once Sainthood is attained, you have a 10% chance when you reach your next level for Ascension to take place.  The chance of Ascension increases by 10% per level thereafter.  Once Ascension occurs roll 1d6 on the following table for something beneficial:

1. Your attacks count as magic.
2. Your blood heals.  For every 1d4 Hit Points you sacrifice, 2 Hit Points or 1 Condition/Disease is healed.  
3. Your can sprout ethereal, angelic wings allowing you to fly a number of rounds equal to your level per day.
4. Your presence inspires, all those within 10' of you can attempt to Turn Undead as a 1st level cleric so long as they have a Holy Symbol.
5. You are immune to fear.
6. Roll twice on the Sainthood table, results are cumulative.

As stated above, actual Ascension is triggered during play.  You now have a time-clock of rolling 3 natural 20's during combat (or some other situation deemed "stressful")  This could theoretically happen in one session, but will most likely take several.  You could also raise the number of crits needed if you feel 3 is too few.  Just imagine finally getting to that point, knowing that the next 20 you roll is the end...

When Ascension occurs, you dramatically achieve victory over your current dilemma -- all foes immediately present are destroyed as Holy Light radiates from your body.  Then you rise up into the sky (even in a dungeon) and disappear from play forever.  Perhaps they return one day as an Avatar???

This is all theory-crafting. Tinker with it...in fact I'm interested to see what other people come up with.


And now a friendly reminder, if you haven't already, be sure to check out my dark, angelic themed modules below.  Both received very positive reviews...

Sision Tower Reviews:

https://beyondfomalhaut.blogspot.com/2019/04/review-sision-tower.html

http://osrnews.blogspot.com/2019/05/sision-tower-review-goth-girls-and.html

Sision Tower

Praise the Fallen Review:

https://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=4615

Praise the Fallen

I've done some art for my next project, but true inspiration hasn't yet hit.

It will.

Sision Tower Now Available!

Some time ago, the wind began to sing of death in the Sision River Valley, and if purgatory was a song, Glovakians are now listening to it.  The source of  this soul-crushing music was tracked to 90 miles northwest of Ambir.  What was found?   A massive, oddly built stone tower that wasn't there before. 

Word quickly spread and the curious set out in droves.  Many turned back however, as every passing day the music got worse, but a brave, or foolish few, managed to make camp and eventually go inside.  If anyone’s made it out, no one really knows, but there’s no shortage of rumors as to what's really going on in the place that has come to be known as, Sision Tower.

Sision Tower is an OSR styled, vertical dungeon-crawl where the PCs explore an odd domain of Holy origins.  Here, they will test their survival skills as well as their Faith.  Here, they will meet Saints and Seraphs.  Here, in the struggle between Law and Chaos they have to decide.......Plunder?? ...Sacrifice??...or Both!!!

Sision Tower includes:

• All original black and white art.
• Over a dozen, fully illustrated, new magic items.
• Unique monsters and a sample setting.
• A vertical dungeon crawl of 35 rooms.
• A spiritual setting in the same vein as Praise the Fallen.

Sision Tower is designed to challenge character levels 3-5 and is easily used with most traditional fantasy role-playing systems.  39 printer-friendly pages, now available at DriveThruRPG!   

Sision Tower

For all who purchase...Thank You!

Rynath Monster: The Chain Wreck

According to legend the first Chain Wrecks came into existence in a dungeon deep beneath the Phaen Moors. Powerful agents of entropy, Chain Wrecks are the tortured souls of those who perished in bondage.  So terrible was their death, so vile is their thirst for retribution, that they blame all life and will stop at nothing to bring the universe one step closer to oblivion.

Though incorporeal, due to the spiritual weight of their cursed chains, Chain Wrecks display a shocking amount of "physical" strength.  They prefer hit-and-run tactics such as flying through walls across narrow hallways and small chambers.  Utilizing such tactics, one Chain Wreck alone is capable of decimating an entire village or a small town.  Those left alive will pray for death as cursed chain fragments now torment them from within, preventing their wounds from ever properly healing.

Particularly dreadful are the larger, more brazen, Howling Chain Wrecks who announce their presence with a maniacal, chain-rattling howl that can stifle the courage of even the most stalwart warriors.

Chain Wrecks can speak whatever language they knew in life, but they suffer such sadistic madness that any conversation is....unlikely.  Chain Wrecks do not hoard treasure on purpose.  Any treasure found near them will undoubtedly be found on one of their victims.

Chain Wreck D&D 5th Edition

 Chain Wreck OSR

For those of you interested in art, here's the unrefined sketch.  Looks like crap, but seeing as it was already my 3rd or 4th attempt, I stuck with it.  Just like writing, drawing is a process.  Tough it out; stick with it.

Rynath Artifact: Line-Breaker Becomes Pain's Gift

Vatra Nok

Dwarven Forged during the Barol-Thanon Betrayal, this hammer was meant to break the lines of rebellious clans and was baptized Nyord Utos, "Line-Breaker," but was best used by Prince Bran-Thanon to break the back of the wicked Ice Dragon, Cortlvaq.  Re-dubbed, Arun-Pur, "Pain's Gift" resurfaced decades later in the possession of the brigand, Vatra Nok, who is said to have perished in the Othon Gorge when he stumbled into the terrtitory of Winter Gnolls.  Pain's Gift is believed to be lost forever in the frigid mountains of Dwimorbura.

Arun-Pur "Pain's Gift"

• Pain's Gift is a War-Hammer so dense that a 16 or higher strength is required to wield it properly. Trying to wield it with a 15 or lower strength incurs disadvantage (or -4) to all hit rolls. 

• It does 2d6+3 points of damage on a hit.

• Scores a critical-hit on a natural 19 or 20 and a Constitution: 15 (or Paralysis) save must be made by the target of the hit to avoid being stunned for 1 round.  Also, any metal armor worn by someone critically-hit by the hammer suffers 1d4 points of armor-class loss.  

Quirk:  Pain's Gift is warm to the touch and "steams" profusely.  The steam is mystical and can not be suppressed in any way.  Anyone wielding the hammer suffers disadvantage on all stealth rolls.

Rynath and the OSR: Part 2

Today I'm sharing the next seven Rynath OSR classes:  Assassin, Barbarian, Knight, Paladin, Ranger, Seer, and Witch.  As I post these, my mind starts thinking--wouldn't some of these options make more sense as Prestige Classes?  After all, wasn't the Companion Set Druid a prestige class? (for lack of a better term).  I tend to view an Assassin as an experienced killer, not a 1st level character.  And the same for the Ranger and the Paladin.  They're more like special forces.  Anyway, putting aside those thoughts and any future revisions (almost guaranteed) here are these seven classes playable from 1st level.


This Assassin's poison mechanics are triggered by critical hits.  The Assassin is the only other class next to the Fighter that can crit on a 19-20 at 1st level, something I find necessary for this poison set-up.  It assumes that the Assassin will always have some amount of poison on them thus doing away with book-keeping.  Sacrilege I know, old-school "D&D" is largely about resource management.  But, this is another method to give combat those exciting holy**** moments (like my Thief's "Combat Theft," Here if you missed my first post on Rynath OSR.)  If someone miserably fails their save, a low-level Assassin can take out a high level opponent instantly.  They are ASSASSINS after all.  The downside is that they may go for awhile without rolling a crit.  Anyhow, this is the idea I chose to post, there are other more traditional ideas I have...

Rynath Assassin

My version of the Paladin is a fanatic holy warrior bred to smite evil!  They're almost like living Saints, and they're not your drinking buddy (though Strongheart seemed like a decent fellow.)  There's probably a little more that I could do with this class, but like the Ranger, I don't want them to be spell-casters.  One of the problems modern "D&D" has is that too many classes are spell-casters.

Rynath Paladin

This Ranger is the classic lone-wolf forester.  He's a survivalist, a hawker, and an ARCHER who knows it's always better to kill from a distance if you can.

Rynath Ranger

The Knight is a class just because I want it to be; a leader, tank, and a defender.

Rynath Knight

Seers and Witches, I could easily roll into the Wizard class by cutting back the Wizard's spells and offering a couple of side abilities.  But, I know I'm not alone when I say that I want to play a Witch, not play a Wizard and call myself a Witch.  If the Seers "Vision" mechanic seems familiar, it's very similar to 5th Edition's Portent ability for the Diviner.  I'm usually not a fan of  "x times/day" mechanics, but it seems fitting for "Vision" and "Hex."

Rynath Seer

Rynath Witch

Not gonna lie, the Barbarian is one of my least favorite "D&D" concepts, and probably should be renamed Berserkers, (Conan is a Fighter, Cuchulain is a Berserker.)  I've never really been satisfied by "rage" mechanics, but I like what I've come up with here and I love my take on their distrust of magic.  All-in-all, I've created a Barbarian that I would actually love to play.

Rynath Barbarian

To complete the series, I'll eventually post the Samurai, Ninja, Pixie, Druid, Bard/Jester, Monk, and Dark-Elf (most of these pictures aren't drawn yet.)  Seeing as Rynath is a series of ideas and not a complete rule-set, I realize these classes are of limited use to people and may only serve as inspiration -- which is fine.   I may end up posting more traditional versions of these classes, but really, what's the point? This is an exchange of ideas.

I'm currently working on Rynath 2d6 which I would like to post as a complete rule-set.

Rynath and the OSR

OSR:  Old School Renaissance (Revival). This is where I am now.  After collecting (and still collecting) many games and exploring many different systems, I'm back at the beginning...sort of.  Too many rules are starting to get in the way.   Nothing against new games, many are fine and many still have my interest -- see the adventure I recently posted for Numenera:  X'actori But, there is something about the RED BOX.  The B in BECMI.  For me, the ALPHA PRODUCT.  The one that still stands the test of time.  One that is forever burned into my brain as the ultimate representation of D&D.  Of course that was MY introduction and first impressions matter; every generation has their version of it...I think.  But, I'm not just talking about rules here, I'm also talking about presentation and art.  Larry Elmore's BECMI art was MEDIEVAL, you know, the Middle Ages, knights, feudalism, castles.  D&D art has never been as good as that (though Dragonlance, Planescape and Darksun all had great art.)  OK, settle down grognard, to each their own... I'm back at the beginning...sort of.  Meaning as much as I love the old ways, they can, and have been improved upon.  Many people have already done it and done it well.   Many people have their own particular OSR twist.  What I'm calling Rynath is my constantly evolving collection of OSR rules, ideas, and character class redesigns. Rynath is simply the name of my homebrew fantasy world...nothing radical there.  Rynath is capitol M MEDIEVAL, no gunpowder, no flying ships, no multi-fantasy-race metropolises, etc.  Sometimes I've used the name Dungeoneer for my fantasy (projects), but for now I'm going with Rynath.  Rynath - OSR, Rynath - 2d6, Rynath - Traveller,-- three separate, yet related projects I need to blog about.  See end of this post for examples... Rynath OSR System HighLights Below is the Rynath Character Sheet.  Right away you'll notice there are only four ability scores.  I've rolled constitution into strength, intelligence into wisdom, and added resolve.  I thought about keeping charisma, but it's kinda pointless unless you're using retainers which is now driven by resolve. Strength:  Melee Strike Bonus, Damage Bonus, and Hit Point Bonus. Physical saves. Wisdom:  Number of starting Languages Known, starting Skill Points (no matter the class), and Bonus 1st Level Spells.  Intellect saves (illusions and such.) Dexterity:  Missile Strike Bonus, Armor Class Bonus, and Initiative Bonus.  Agility saves. Resolve:  Reaction/ Retainer Bonus.  Willpower saves.  Rynath Character Sheet Skills are the old-school d6 roll and presented similar to how LotFP  (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) does it with some changes.  Every Class gets some skill points eventually.  Every skill starts at 1 for every character and for some skills, ability bonuses are added.  Using a skill takes a variable amount of time and failure can have consequences such as mandatory wandering monster checks. If you succeed at your skill roll then you've done what you wanted to do....period (tired of the Perception check super-skill that stands in the way of everything.) Some classes have different Critical Hit thresholds as they level up, eg. Fighters start with a critical hit on 19-20, by 13th level it's 16-20.  Why?  Helps make combat more interesting and dynamic.  Prevents combat slog and helps Fighters stand out.  Fighters also get 1 free parry every round, where-as every other class has to sacrifice their attack to parry.  (See Parry rules below.) Strike Bonus ("To-Hit" bonus, I like the word "Strike") caps out at level 10. Hit Dice cap out at level 9, just like B/X, but characters starts with a few more Hit Points at level one.  The game is still deadly enough. I incorporate the ever-popular Advantage/Disadvantage.   If you use a Weapon your are not trained in, you attack with Disadvantage.  If you wear Armor you are not trained in you do EVERYTHING with Disadvantage and if you're a spell-caster, targets have Advantage on their saves. XP (experience) is gained by killing monsters and finding treasure.  Nothing new there, except I would give a little more for XP for monsters and hand out less treasure.  Character advancement should be slow. I've thought about doing an Encumbrance System that limits everyone to 10 slots with armor taking up 1-3 and each weapon taking up 1-2.  This would realistically limit what is carried through the Dungeon ( and lets face it, it's all about the Dungeon.)  Being over this limit would penalize you with Disadvantage on rolls. The chart below lists the Armor Classes and armor costs.  Weapons are fairly standard for B/X, BECMI.  Though I feel that a staff should only do 1d4.  Weapons are double the classic prices.  I've thought about giving weapons "qualities", but I haven't....for this system.  I don't want to stray too far... SAVING THROWS SAVING THROWS  are based on ability scores and level (not class and level).  I have three charts to choose from.  Why three?  Because I haven't decided which one is standard.  Probably the first one.  So a 5th level character with a DEX of 13 would have a DEX save of 11 or higher.  The other two charts break the game into 5 tiers of three levels (Rynath classes max out at 15th level) one is a more difficult progression.  These are just other options.   Monsters would base their save on Hit Die and the 9-12 ability score slot.  Treat all Hit Dice lower than 1 as 1.  Of Course I would like to rewrite the monsters in more detail, but this is a quick fix. MAGIC MAGIC is my other main innovation next to saving throws and ascending crits.  I've never liked Vancian magic, even when I was younger.  Having read Jack Vance since then, I certainly have more appreciation for that magic system, but, I still don't prefer it.  Spell points are closer to what I like, but not quite.  I view magic as something dangerous that should physically drain, exhaust, and potentially kill you if you abuse it.  An experienced Wizard should be warped, mutated, or simply aged beyond their years.  You play with powerful forces (Black Magic) and you pay a powerful price. So the magic (and prayer) system is basically this: The spells you know are determined randomly (Clerics inlcluded -- you don't know the role your deity has for you.)  You can cast any spell you know. As you level up, higher level spell charts become available to you.  When you roll for a new spell, you can roll on any chart up to your maximum spell-level allowed. When you cast a spell you make a resolve save with a penalty equal to the spell level (eg. a 1st level spell worsens your resolve save by 1, as second level spell worsens it by 2, etc.) If you fail the save you take x-amount of Hit Point damage per spell level (this depends on Class, Wizards have it the easiest and this curbs the power-level of Elves.)  If you succeed there is no Hit Point loss.  Critical successes and failures worsen or better this verdict -- explained on each Class description. All harmful spells allow for a saving throw even sleep and magic missile and such. Those are the basics of spell-casting.  And it's still something of an experiment.  But this system allows for that unexpected Wizard's sacrifice for the party.  It gives "magic-users" more flexibility, yet the risk of losing hit points causes them to choose wisely when to cast spells. More often than not, you will lose hit points when casting a spell. Clerics basically work the same way. You can use just about any OSR spell list that you want, but Cleric spells don't go higher than 7th-level and Turn Undead has to be a first level spell under this system. See LotFP for that version or simply treat the use of any Turn Undead ruleset as a 1st-level spell. Magic Items have a Usage-Die (except things like weapons and armor and other special or one-use items) so every time you use a magic item is one use closer to it's last.  Usage-Die rules for those who don't know:  You roll a die when you use an item.  Lets say a d8. If you roll a 1 or 2 on the die, the d8 becomes a d6.  If you roll a 1 or 2 on your next use, the d6 becomes a d4.  If you roll a 1 or 2 on a d4, the item becomes useless; crumbles to dust or something. Usage Die starting Die is typically d12 but sometimes d20.  I've never really liked the traditional "charges" system. Sample Magic Item Ring of Invisibility:  This ring grants you invisibility, but every round you wear it, you take 1 point of damage that can not be magically healed and only heals naturally at a rate of 1 point per week.  Also, you must pass a Resolve Save in order to remove the ring from your finger — failure means that you succumb to the ring and can’t try to remove it again for another 1d4 rounds.  If you die from wearing the ring, you turn into a Wraith.  If you die from other means while wearing the ring, the ring slips from your finger and you become visible. Ammo could also use the Usage Die system.  Optional. RYNATH OSR COMBAT  RULES Parry:  During a combat round, if you have not acted yet, you can use your action to Parry a successful Strike made against you by making a Strike roll that is equal to or greater than the incoming Strike roll.  Success means you have knocked the attack aside and suffer no damage.  If you choose to Parry, then you can not Strike that Round (unless you’re a Fighter.)  You can not Parry without a weapon or a Shield (unless you’re a Monk.)  Armed with a Shield, you may use your action to Parry an attack made against an adjacent ally — you make this roll with  Disadvantage (unless you’re a Knight).  A Shield can also be used to parry missiles (using your regular Strike Bonus.)  You can never Parry more than once per round. --If you successfully Parry a Critical Hit, there may still be consequences.  You must make a Strength Save — failure means that you roll on the Critical Miss Table.  --If you score a Critical Hit with your Parry, then you can Strike that Round.   Fighters force their opponent to roll on the Critical Miss Table. --If you score a Critical Miss with your Parry, then the incoming Strike becomes a Critical Hit and you roll on the Critical Miss Table. Critical Hit:  If the actual die roll falls in your Crit Range, you’ve scored a Critical Hit and your damage is doubled as follows: 1d8+3 becomes (11 + 1d8+3).  Tripled would be (22 + 1d8+3).   Also, any time you take damage from a Critical Hit, your Armor is damaged and loses 1 point of Armor Class.  You can choose to take this damage to your Shield instead.  A Forge* roll can be attempted later to repair the damage.            *Forge Skill:  One roll equals 1 full day of work.  If the roll succeeds, 1 point of armor is restored, or a weapon improves by 1 Die Type back up to it's maximum.  If the roll fails, try again tomorrow. Critical Miss:  A natural 1 is always Critical Miss.  Roll 1d6 to see what just happened to you. 1.  You Drop Your Weapon and it is out of your reach.  On your next turn you can draw a new weapon and Strike with  Disadvantage, or you can attempt to recover your lost weapon (if no one else has) by making a successful Dexterity Save — attempting to pick up an item during combat takes up your entire action and requires a Dexterity Save. 2.  You’ve been Knocked Down — all Strikes against you are made with Advantage while you are prone.  You Strike with Disadvantage until you regain your footing which only happens after a Dexterity Save — which takes up your entire action. 3.  Your Weapon is Damaged — it becomes the next lowest Die Type (1d4 weapons are destroyed). 4.  You’ve left yourself wide open and your opponent gets a Free Strike against you. 5.  You Drop an Item of Value (determined randomly from your most valuable possessions). 6.  Your Weapon Shatters even if it's magical (nothing lasts forever, and this creates legendary moments.) Healing:  After an 8 hour rest, you recover 1 Hit Die + your Level. Mounted Combat:  If you take damage while mounted, you need to make a Strength Save or fall from your steed taking 1d4 damage. --Missile Strikes while mounted are made with Disadvantage. --Combatants on foot have Disadvantage while Striking mounted opponents. RYNATH OSR CLASSES The Classes I designed for Rynath are on the following list.  Why include classes like Dark-Elf, Monk, Ninja, Pixie, Samurai?  Just because.  Classes are fun to design, so having only 7 wasn't gonna cut it.  Also, Knight, Witch, Assassin, and Seer had to be Classes.  Again, just because I love the concepts. Assassin Barbarian Bard / Jester Cleric Dark-Elf Druid Dwarf Elf / Warlock Fighter Halfling Knight Monk Ninja Paladin Pixie Ranger Samurai Seer Thief Witch Wizard / Sorcerer Here are the seven core (B/X, BECMI) classes.  This should give an idea of how it all comes together.  I will post more over time... Rynath Cleric Rynath Dwarf Rynath Elf-Warlock  Rynath Fighter Rynath Halfling Rynath Wizard-Sorcerer Rynath Thief Rynath - Traveller -- 1st Attempt Rynath - Traveller -- Revised Rynath - 2d6 -- In Progress For Rynath Traveller, I have a total of 13 career charts each with 3 sub-careers.  My first attempt is a straight up Traveller - Fantasy conversion.  My revived attempt streamlines character creation, but is basically the same system.  Rynath 2d6 takes my 21 OSR classes and converts them to a Traveller-ish 2d6 system with very quick/random character creation.  More on all of this later....