Medieval Doors

These are not like modern doors.

No knob to turn.

No door handle.

Often, the outside has a keyhole and nothing else.

Maybe an iron loop or rung to grab, but these are most likely used to pull the door shut when leaving; may double as knockers.

Hinges are on the inside.

They almost always open inward. 

On the inside are often multiple locking mechanisms beyond a possible keyhole: Latches that slide sideways, latches that slide into the floor and ceiling. Rungs for wooden beams to slide into. 

They are solid as fuck.

You are not hacking through these doors with your weapons.

It takes one full 10 minute turn per attempt to pick the lock which may include multiple latches and such. Two turns if a non-thief is somehow attempting. (My rule).

It could take one full turn before that to search for traps... or you could say that is part of the picking process, but still, two rolls, three, if you find and need to remove prior to picking. Whatever, one turn minimum for the whole process.

One full turn per attempt to open a stuck or heavy door.

Looking at the doors below, bashing them down seems ludicrous in many cases and of course should result in a mandatory and heightened wandering monster check.

It's hard to imagine hearing anything through them... that's why it's a special thief ability. And you're putting your ear to where the door meets the floor, not up against the door itself like you're trying to crack a safe. (Maybe while picking). Perhaps an ear to the keyhole.

Attempting any of the above forfeits any hope of surprise. In fact, it should guarantee surprise against the PCs.

Simply opening the door should forfeit surprise. Imagine the noise.

Doors are obstacles.

Game on.

The White Dwarf Necromancer

White Dwarf  35, November 1982...

No wonder the Satanic Panic happened.

I was introduced to D&D in 1983 at age 10 and wasn't introduced to White Dwarf until much later when it became more or less a Warhammer 40K thing. Not sure how I missed it for so long; it had to be on the shelves here... or was it?

So, I missed this awesomeness completely. And I wonder what I'd have thought if I saw this then. I honestly don't know...

The Necromancer...by Lew Pulsipher (wow... the author's name even sounds Satanic).

A cleric based, 15 level class with a D8 Hit Die, saving throws, attacks, and the level progression of the cleric, with spell-like abilities ranked by "grade" as opposed to "level" and the explicit need to sacrifice living creatures every few weeks (especially human virgins and pregnant women) or lose all powers granted by their Dark God.

• For every level a Necromancer gains, they lose 1 point of charisma. This represents their extreme loner, anti-life nature. Love this. What would zero indicate, undeath appearance?
• They can control undead using the cleric's turn undead matrix.
• They are immune to the nasty effects of undead of a lesser level than themselves, paralysis, level-drain and such.
• Their wounds don't heal naturally, requiring ritual sacrifice to gain 1/2 the victim's hit points. However, if they build a temple of death (at 10th level) they can regenerate there.
• Gains infravision at 2nd level.
• Past 1st level, they return as an undead of similar hit dice if killed.
• May place a curse on their killer as he dies.

Most of their spell-like abilities revolve around summoning or creating undead, speaking with and imitating the dead (feign death, non-corporeality) and can be used only once per day each (more abilities were added in White Dwarf 36). Some actually require ritualistic, black-mass killings, transforming the victims to a state of undeath.

X/times per day has never been a favorite mechanic of mine and I think I'd trade their need to sacrifice to heal wounds for a need to sacrifice to fuel abilities. They would have a black magic pool of sorts and each "grade" would have an associated cost, also, the greater the sacrifice, human virgin vs goat or cat, the greater the points gained. Thus, they may find themselves needing to sacrifice something during an adventure as opposed to off-screen sacrifices. This would certainly lead to memorable moments and clashes as clerics and paladins discover what they're up to.

I love this class. It's steeped in Black Magic (the term is actually used). It would never be published these days... by anyone. Modern Necromancer's are so fucking lame, in fact, the whole modern game is lame. It just shows how D&D has been utterly degraded over the years -- from dark MEDIEVAL slaughter, to WoTC's glitter-fest.

Sad.

And, is it just me, or was White Dwarf much edgier than Dragon?

I Salute You Dark MAGA

 

I Don't Miss Perception Checks.

I don't miss perception checks, or let me say, I don't miss having to roll perception checks.  They damaged to the game.  Perception became a super-skill, almost a stat unto itself, an entitlement.  This is by no means unique to D&D as many games out there are designed to accommodate a character's Awareness.

I walk in......perception check.
I search the room......perception check.
Is he hiding something?......perception check.
What do I hear?......perception check.
I approach cautiously......perception check.
I check for secret doors......perception check...............

Perception damaged the game.  As far as D&D is concerned, it evolved from "search for secret doors" and "check for traps" and became "I roll to check for anything and everything under the sun that I can think of that could possibly be hidden from me at any given moment for any given reason."  The almighty Perception Skill.  And whether it's called, Perception, Sense Motive, or Investigation, it's all the same.  We can thank 3rd Edition for this super-skill (and I'm not hating on 3rd Edition, I had my share of fun with it, I just don't recall it being a issue before then.)

No class is hurt by this super-skill more than the Thief/Rogue.  Their whole shtick is, not being perceived.  Perception steps on their toes by putting them in double-jeopardy.  Not only do they have to roll well to succeed, but their foe has to roll poorly.

Screw that.

Whether it's Move Silently or Hide in Shadows or plain old Stealth, if the old-school Thief makes her roll then she does what she wants to do, period.  It has nothing to do with her opponents "perception" but rather, her own personal skill and dice luck.

A fighter tries to hit you based on his skill alone -- one roll.  A wizard casts a spell on you based on your resistance (or lack of) still, one roll.  A thief tries to sneak past you, she rolls, you roll.  A thief tries to pick your pocket, she rolls, you roll.  Several of the modern thief's key abilities are contested.  You could argue that any class trying these actions face contested rolls, but these things used to be the SOLE domain of the thief.  (And I'm not against contested rolls at all, I love the notion of contested combat: Strike, parry, dodge.....)

Double Jeopardy for thieves isn't really a problem in old-school D&D, but there's one aspect to how early thieves are handled that I don't like, and that is, when the DM rolls secretly for the player.  It's their skill, their roll.   So how do I ref these rolls?  Not until the point of no return and not a moment sooner.  Example.....

The Thief is Hiding in Shadows in someone's room, waiting to spy or kill.  If her intention is simply to spy, she will roll shortly after her target enters the room, and just before he does anything important.  If she fails, he spots her, she learns nothing.  If she succeeds, he doesn't spot her and she gets to watch for as long as she wants.....even if someone else enters the room, she has successfully hidden, period.  Her gambit as a lone thief is one of life and death, if she makes her roll, let her enjoy it.

If she's hiding for an attempted "Back-Stab," she could lay in wait for minutes or hours, doesn't matter, the "Hide" roll doesn't occur until the point of no return.  Rolling secretly for the player creates the same level of suspense, but strips them of active involvement (imagine gambling at a casino with someone else rolling the dice for you.....)   Don't have her roll Hide in Shadows until she's ready to make her move and it's do-or-die.  If she fails, she's been spotted, roll initiative.  If she succeeds, here comes the dagger.  But, if her attack roll misses, that means her target saw her at the last moment and evaded.  Assassination is harder than spying.

K, that was a tangent.  Back to Perception, bottom line -- it kills the player's motivation to engage with the game world.  Rolling perception for everything is lazy and sterilizing. 

Something else I don't miss:  DC's.  DC:12, DC:15, DC:18, etc., etc.  Your character gets good at something, and then the goal-posts are moved, suddenly locks get tougher, traps get deadlier.  Everything around advances with you.  Why advance?  The beauty of old-school is that you actually get good at stuff and stay good at them.  You ARE a master-thief.  You can pick locks and disarm traps all day long, but, one failure can still kill you.

Not that I'm out to kill characters, anything but.  I've never rolled that way.  There is a way to give varying levels of difficulty without moving the goal-posts and that's by simply using advantage and disadvantage.  Anything can be easy/standard/hard.....advantage/normal/disadvantage.  You want a tough trap to find, link it with disadvantage.  Put it in a 1st level dungeon or a 15th level one, you're not changing the game much and you've added a hint of depth.  A master-thief will still probably succeed, but at least she'll sweat a little.

Keys.....

Just wanted to share a little trick that I used in Praise the Fallen to make finding and using keys a little more interesting for both DMs and players.

"A note on Keys.  Anytime the PCs encounter cultists, there is a 2 in 6 chance that one of the cultists has a key.  Anytime the PCs encounter a locked door, there is a 2 in 6 chance that a key that they have found will open that door, so long as that key has not been matched up with another door.  If a key opens a door, then that’s the only door it can open.  If you’re feeling generous, there is a 1 in 6 chance that a key is a Master-Key that opens all locks."                   

-- Praise the Fallen, pg. 2.

The reason I love this is that it adds a little excitement for everyone.  I love not knowing what's going to happen next even though I wrote the damn thing.   Let the players roll to see if a key fits a door/lock, this give them the illusion (at least) of having a little bit of control over the fate of the adventure.  You can always place specific keys in specific places, but throw in a couple using the rules above, it adds a little suspense to the game.

To help individual Keys stand out, roll to see what it's made of.....Roll 1d12

  1.  Iron

  2.  Brass

  3.  Silver*

  4.  Steel

  5.  Bronze

  6.  Gold*

  7.  Bone

  8.  Platinum*

  9.  Copper*

10.  Lead

11.  Tin

12.  Stone

*If the key is made of precious metal, it's safe to assume the key is worth 2d4 coins of that metal.

Liven Up Those Corridors!

Dungeons are a thing of beauty, but too often I see empty, endless looping corridors where nothing ever happens save for the occasional wandering monster.  Mazes are awesome, options are great, but what is beautiful, isn't always playable.

Take Map A above.  All good right?  Nothing you haven't seen before.  But unless something happens in those passageways, you're going to waste a lot of time slogging from room 1 to 2 (especially if someone's mapping.)  It might look cool, might be fun to draw, might look fun to play, but it kind of isn't.  You could just do this.....

Map B might seem dull, but it's gonna make your session run a lot smoother.  You just saved about 20 minutes of unnecessary slog.  But that's no fun.  You want that dungeon to be a labyrinth.  You want that sense of exploration.  You want those players cautiously peeking around every corner.  You want them interested in the entire place.....not just the rooms.  Too often, hallways are just time-killers.

They shouldn't be.

Almost every time the players turn a corner something interesting should happen.  This doesn't have to be a fight, just something interesting.  Dungeons should not only be places of danger, but places of wonder.

Now look at Map C below.  I've added a fountain, a one-way door, an alter, a statue, a portcullis, a curtain, some stairs, and a huge pile of rubble -- all outside of rooms.   Not everything will be dangerous or meaningful, but the players sure as hell don't know that.  Every turn of a corner becomes interesting now.

Many of these objects should do something.  There should be a trick, something hidden, a treasure, a trap, a penalty, or a perk.  At a minimum on Map C, the players will have 2 encounters while traveling between the two rooms. These encounters can make sense or not make sense, but most of them should adhere to the theme of the dungeon.

And that's all it takes to liven up the place.  Now that small, 2-room section of dungeon is packed full of goodness.

Side note:  Your map doesn't have to be so finished -- you're the only one looking at it!  Consider  Map D, it took a minute to draw.  Fill in the margins with notes and stats and doodles and you'll be good to go with a dungeon just as fascinating to behold as the most professionally drawn piece!

Mazes: The Monotony or How to Run an Actual Maze

Mazes: The Monotony.   Sounds like a White Wolf role-playing game.

I love dungeons.  Lord knows how many I've drawn.  But I never draw "actual" mazes.  And any time I see a maze in a published module I kinda cringe.  Navigating the players through an actual maze is a monotonous, fun-killing, pain-in-the-ass.

Too bad.  Mazes go all the way back to Theseus and the Minotaur.  The fear of being lost ...primal ...powerful.   Of course, dungeons are mazes too.  But dungeons are filled with so many unique structures, getting lost would actually be pretty hard.  The whole point of a maze is getting completely lost.  So how do you do that mechanically?

Here's an idea...

Don't even draw the maze.  If the maze is part of a larger dungeon, just draw a false maze in that spot or simply write the word "maze."  Don't even try to navigate it in a traditional way except for maybe the first 3 or 4 passage turns. Make sure to describe how labyrinthine the place is. Then inform the players that they are in danger of getting lost, and from now on they will have to roll to find their way.  How they roll will differ from system to system.  5th Edition would probably be an Investigation roll DC:12-15.  For OSR I would use a save vs. spells allowing for an Intelligence bonus to the roll. Some DMs may think Wisdom is the better choice; up to you.

Basically you require x amount of consecutive success rolls to navigate successfully through the maze.  The number of successful rolls needed increases depending on the complexity and size of the maze.  Only one player can roll per attempt and each attempt represents x amount of time.  To keep things interesting, have the players take turns rolling--this represents everyone having input, "I think we should go this way," "No, that way!" and prevents the character with the best chances of success dominating the event.

Every x amount of time roll for a random encounter.  Random encounters should vary in what they are, from wandering monsters to pit traps to puzzles or NPCs.  Pay attention to corridor width when stocking your random encounter chart, not everything will fit.  Also, take heed of how corridor width affects combat.  You may also include on the encounter chart, specific entries like "the center of the maze" or "the Minotaur's lair" or the "captured Princess" or a "secret door."  The more encounters you put on your encounter list the better, and Navigation rolls aside, a larger encounter list equals a larger maze--you don't want to run out of encounters.

You could also include variations of the same encounter so that the maze is different every time you run it.  For example, if the goal was to rescue a princess, one of the results may be that the party finds what's left of the princess (who wants to report that to the Baron?), or they discover that the princess is in league with the Minotaur, or they find her chained to a wall, or wandering lost and hungry.  Whatever result is rolled becomes the story and the other possibilities must then be ignored and re-rolled if they come up later.

Secret Doors  Can you imagine running a maze the traditional way and having the players search every 10' for secret doors?  Mind numbing....

If the players find a secret door it has to be meaningful, such as finding a secret door lowers by one the number of consecutive success rolls now needed to navigate the maze.  Or it could hide treasure and/or serve as a safe room.

Splitting the Party is very dangerous in a maze, but circumstances can make it happen.  Any time the party is losing a fight and decides to retreat from combat they could get separated in the chaos.  Every player must make a Navigation roll, if at least half of the party succeeds, then they all stick together.  If more than half fail then the party is split with those who failed going one way and those who succeeded going another.  Any navigation success the party had is lost after a retreat.  How do they find each other?  Yelling out each others names should call for an immediate encounter roll (use common sense with the result here.)  Put at least one entry on the random encounter chart which states that they have bumped into a lost party member.  Until then, take turns running the two groups separately.  Don't fuss too much over whether the exact same amount of time has passed between groups, mazes are mysterious places.

Resting  At some point the party might be beat up and choose to take a "long rest."  Unless they've found a hidden safe room, they'll be resting in a corridor.  A random encounter will be rolled at some point during the rest.  Rolling for a random encounter doesn't guarantee one will occur.  Assuming the party members will take turns on watch, randomly roll whose watch an encounter occurs on if an encounter occurs, e.g., if its a party of 4 assign an order and roll 1d4.  If it was a party of 5 roll a 1d6 and re-roll a result of 6.  Determine surprise by whatever "perception" method you are using. If they fail their roll it basically means that they were nodding off during their watch.

It's possible the players will find their way through the maze without accomplishing their goal, unless finding their way out was their goal.  They may have to go back in.

Mazes are potentially very dangerous places as the players could literally be trapped inside for quite some time....if the maze is large enough.  But, the players could get lucky and waltz right through.  Also, high level characters usually have a bag of tricks that can wisp them away to safety in an instant.  You could put a magical barrier around the maze, but that seems arbitrary.  My advice is to keep mazes for lower level groups, but with a little thought they can be used for any level.  Something else to consider, does the maze have a ceiling?  It probably should.  Is it multi-leveled?  Doesn't really matter, that's simply window dressing. It could have stairs or not.  It could also have strange gravity, like being able to walk on any surface.

So, here is a sample maze.........

Scenario:  It seems that a Minotaur (who has bad blood with the local Baron) has captured a princess (not THE princess, A princess, just one of the daughters of one of the nobles.) and is vowing that she will be eaten within the fortnight if the Baron doesn't enter his maze....alone.  Of course the Baron is not going to do that as the maze is rumored to be full of all manner of foul things, but he has sent knights to the rescue.  Naturally, none returned.  There is one week left and  now there's a reward of  500 GP and a small estate in the hills for the person(s) that safely rescues the princess and another 500 GP for the Minotaur's head.  The entrance to the maze is not common knowledge, but it is known and is located in a gorge 10 miles outside of town.  Guards are stationed at the mouth of the gorge 2 miles from the maze.  Finding the maze should be automatic.

Lacramoira's Fate

Navigation Mechanic:  OSR (Save vs. Spells with Intelligence bonus), 5th Edition (Investigation DC:14).

Navigation Turn Time:  10 minutes.

Consecutive Successes Needed to Find the Exit:  4 (see encounter roll 41-43).

Random Encounter Rolls:  1 Every 30 minutes (that's every 3 Navigation rolls).

Random Encounter Rolls When Resting: Roll 1d12.

1. A friendly knight who is still sane. (4 HD Fighter).
2. A gelatinous cube.
3. No encounter.
4. 1d6 horned skeletons. (see 9-12)
5. A maddened knight. (see 36-40)
6. No encounter.
7. A lost villager.
8. A rat swarm. (see 20-22)
9. No encounter.
10. The Bull attacks. (see 73-76)
11. A wandering princess (doppleganger). (see 66-68)
12. A shadow-thief. (see 28-32)

Corridor Width:  10'.

Complexity:  The average corridor goes for around 60' before an intersection or a turn.

Visibility:  20' on average though some areas are better lit than others.  Dimly lit with a gold color.  The source of light isn't discernible; seems mystical in nature and shadows flicker as if from flames.

Description:  The maze is carved directly out of the rock.  The uniformly sized passages are all on the same level with a classic maze layout and a 10' ceiling.  There are no stairs and only a handful of chambers. The entrance in the gorge is nothing more than a large crack in the rock behind a small waterfall. 

Purpose:  Rescue princess ( as far as they PCs know, they have 7 days to find the princess) / slay Minotaur / find exit.

Random Encounters ( Roll % )

(To keep things simple, stats will be OSR style)

1-4.  A 10' x 10' pit trap triggered after at least 2 people have stepped on it ( save vs. wand/device, damage: 2d6.)  It takes up the whole corridor so will most likely be triggered by the first 2 party members if they are walking 2 abreast.  It's a 10' fall down onto spikes.  The trap resets itself after 1 minute.  There are plenty of bones and rusted metal among the spikes including the fresh corpse of a knight.  If the pit is searched 1d6 x 10 GP worth of treasure is found in a combination of coins and gems.  Searching takes up 1 Navigation Turn.

5-8.  Sitting in the corridor, starved, delirious, and more than half dead is a local peasant.  He first begs for water and food and then for the party to take him with them.  He claims he knows the way out and/or the location of the princess, but is too weak to continue.  In fact, he knows nothing.  If they take him with them, they need one extra successful Navigation roll so long as he is with them.  If they leave him behind, he creates such a ruckus screaming after them that there is a 75% chance attracting 1d6 horned skeletons.

9-12.  2d6 battle-axe wielding, horned skeletons are coming toward the party, eyes glowing red...(2 HD, AC:13, damage: 1d8.)

13-16.  The party stumbles on a secret room hidden behind a passage wall.  The room is 10' x 10' and completely empty except for some small rocks.  The door opens inward toward the room, but has no latch or lock.

17-19.  The party is ambushed by a Chain Wreck.

20-22.  Lacramoira's Fate # 1.  In a small pit at the dead end of a corridor, a swarm of rats is feasting on the corpse of a once beautiful girl clearly of noble birth.  One of the girl's wrists is tethered to the wall by a chain.  Within moments, the swarm attacks the party.  Rat Swarm ( 4 HD, AC: 12, damage 1d2 + disease, attacks everybody each round.)

23-27.  The party hears the fearsome horn-like bellows of a large angry bull (google this sound if you haven't heard it before).  They must all save vs. paralysis.  If more than half of them fail, any successful Navigation rolls they have are lost.

28-32.  A shadow-thief stalks the party stealing supplies from them.  Treat the shadow-thief as having the same stats as a shade (or shadow) but instead of draining strength or life on a hit, it steals a random item from the target.   The stolen items now exist only as shadows and the shadow-thief discards them throughout the maze.  The shadow-thief disappears after stealing 1d4+1 items.  If this happens undetected during a rest period, the PCs will wake up to 1d4+1 items missing and should occasionally spot shadows of their stolen items throughout the maze.

33-35.  They find a secret passage in one of the walls that leads them to a different section of the maze much closer to the exit.  Reduce the number of consecutive Navigation success rolls needed by 1 for the next sequence of rolls.

36-40.  They first hear the sounds of clanking armor. Then, walking toward them is a fully armored knight who has completely lost his mind to the maze.  He attacks maniacally.  The knight wears plate-mail, has a sword and is a 4 HD Fighter.

41-43.  The light at the end of the tunnel is the real deal as the party stumbles out of the maze and into the moonlit gorge.

44-48.  The walls start shifting and coming apart as this section of the maze rewrites itself.  Within moments the layout of the maze has changed.  Everybody must save vs. wands/device to avoid being separated from each other.  Those who make the save will be together in one area of the maze and those who fail the save will be together in another part of the maze.  All success rolls are lost.

49-52.  The party wanders into a part of the maze they have already encountered (choose something).  They have made a complete circle and lose all progress.  Increase the number of consecutive Navigation success rolls needed by 1 for the next sequence of rolls.

53-57.  No encounter.

58-61.  A large scythe swings out of the wall attacking the person(s) in the front of the party. (Save vs. wand/device +2 bonus, damage: 1d10.)

62-65.  Corridor after corridor, turn after turn, the PCs wander and find nothing.  Their minds and bodies grow exhausted, in fact, it's time to rest.  The PCs have lost entire day.  Any Navigation successes are lost.

66-68.  Lacramoira's Fate # 2.  A high-ceilinged 60' x 60' chamber.  Standing in the center of the room is a 100' high pillar.  Standing on the pillar, shackled, is the princess.  She looks healthy and well, if not scared out of her mind.  She immediately breaks down and pleads for rescue.  If the PCs try to rescue her, 2d6 +2 battle-axe wielding, horned skeletons (2 HD, AC:13, damage: 1d8.) rise out of the ground and attack.  She is not the real princess, but a doppleganger who will eventually attempt to assassinate the Baron.

69-72.  Corridor after corridor, turn after turn, the PCs wander and find nothing.  This maze is not a normal place and their minds are at the brink of sanity.  The madness of the maze might cost them mental coherence.  The PCs have to save vs. spells or permanently lose 1 point of (roll 1d6):  Intelligence (1-2), Wisdom (3-4), or Charisma (5-6).

73-76.  The Bull attacks.  The Minotaur suddenly comes charging at the PCs.  They all have to save vs.wands/device with a -2 penalty or take 1d8 damage.  The Minotaur disappears down the hallway and can not be tracked.

77-80.  You stumble across your missing party member(s), otherwise no encounter.

81-84.  The PCs enter a section of the maze under the effects of a permanent darkness spell.  All Navigation rolls in the darkness are made with disadvantage.  The darkness lasts for 1d6+2 turns.

85-88.  The PCs come across the corpse of a gored wizard.  Searching him reveals a staff, a dagger, a pouch containing 2d6 x 10 GP, and 1d4 scrolls.

89-92.  In an alcove there is a fountain in the form of a bull's head.  The liquid could be clear but seems gold in the glow of the maze.  The fountain is magical.  If the PCs drink from it the results are as random as this maze.  Roll 1d6:

1. Save vs. poison.  If you fail you die.  If you succeed you regain all lost hit points.
2. You are granted a vision of the maze.  You may re-roll a failed Navigation roll.
3. The essence of the bull.  You sprout tiny bull horns from your head.  Lose 1 point of charisma.
4. Save vs spells.  If you fail you fall into a magical slumber for 1d4 days.  If you succeed, you can now cast sleep once/day. 
5. It is water.  It tasted really good.  Gain 1 hit point.
6. Now you have brain fog.  You have disadvantage on all your Navigation rolls.

93-97.  A gelatinous cube is sliming it's way down the corridor.  It surprises on 1-4.

98-100.  Lacramoira's Fate # 3.  The center of the maze.  Steps go up to a thrown currently occupied by the princess who has a large Minotaur on a leash.  She is a 10th level sorceress and the Minotaur has twice the hit dice as normal.  She unleashes him while muttering something like "How pathetic..."  Once per this encounter, she can summon 2d6 + 2 Horned skeletons (see 9-12).  If the PCs retreat they are not pursued............the maze will take care of them.

What Do Your Dungeons Look Like?

I'm currently working on a fairly substantial post.  In the mean time, I thought I might share some dungeons that I've drawn.  These maps are probably 7 or 8 years old and we were playing Pathfinder at the time...

The PCs were low level characters sailing on a barge when kobolds attacked.  After a few rounds of battle the kobolds ignited the barge and made off with one of the PCs' friends.  The PCs somehow (don't remember how) made it to shore and tracked the kobolds to their lair on the side of a volcano...

In ancient times there were two rival coastline cities within view of each other.  One cities' sorcerers cursed their rival city causing it to sink into the sea.  The source of the curse was a stone that remained under strict security.....and of course it was stolen and taken to the sunken city causing it to slowly rise out of the sea.  The map below represents the uppermost spires of the city rising out of the water.  Naturally, there was a handsome reward for the return of the stone.....

And here is a sample page of notes for the sunken city adventure.  Of note is the bar-brawl and rumor-mill.

 What do your dungeons look like?

OSR Guide For The Perplexed Questionnaire

OSR Guide For The Perplexed Questionnaire
http://dndwithpornstars.blogspot.com/2018/10/osr-guide-for-perplexed-questionnaire.html

1.  One article or blog enrty that exemplifies the best of the Old School Renaissance for me:

    While not specifically OSR, this article brings much needed OSR edginess to 5th Edition.
     http://dndwithpornstars.blogspot.com/2014/10/ontologically-ambiguous-banshee.html


2.  My favorite piece of OSR wisdom/advice/snark:

     Classes aren't balanced.


3.  Best OSR module/supplement:

     Veins of the Earth.  Seriously, this mind-blowing book is a work of art.


4.  My favorite house rule (by someone else):

     Zak Smith's randomly rolled character class tables such as The Alice from A Red and Pleasant Land.

5.  How I found out about the OSR:

     I don't remember exactly.  I think I came across Swords & Wizardry which somehow led me to Castles & Crusades and/or Lamentations of the Flame Princess...honestly can't remember.

6.  My favorite OSR online resourse/toy:

     It was Google+ because it led to so many toys.


7.  Best place to talk to other OSR gamers:

     It was Google+.


8.  Other places I might be found hanging out and talking games:

     Reddit and Google+ were the only two.  Other than my blog, I am absent on social media.


9.  My awesome, pithy OSR take nobody appreciates enough:

     No matter how simple the rules are, I think there should be an option to actively Parry.


10.  My favorite non-OSR RPG:  

     Wow.  I like a lot of games.  Just gonna to throw Dark Heresy out there.


11.  Why I like OSR stuff:

     Because it's the most unchained, creative stuff there is.


12.  Two other cool OSR things you should know about that I haven't named yet:

     Rappan Athuk:  The fact that this dictionary sized dungeon even exists makes me smile.
And a thought, just because art is in color, doesn't make it good and/or better.  There's something beautiful about ink.

13.  If I could read but one other RPG blog but my own it would be:

     Playing D&D With Porn Stars (minus the drama.)


14.  A game thing I made that I quite like:

    This whole project. 


15.  I'm currently running/playing:

     Nothing.


16.  I don't care whether you use ascending or descending AC because:

     It's your game.


17.  The OSRest picture I could post on short notice:

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.

Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition Character Sheet Revised

It was only a matter of time before I decided to revise my 5th Edition character sheets.

The most notable change is the horizontal placement of ability scores as opposed to a "list."  Lists are usually easier to read, especially at a glance, but I think this format works.  Overall, it sort of has a "Dark Heresy meets D&D" vibe, which wasn't my goal but I like the outcome.  I included two versions, Gold and Black.  I also removed the italic lettering on the spell sheet and corrected some minute alignment issues.

For earlier versions of this Character Sheet see the side-bar on the right.

D&D 5th Revised 09/18
D&D 5th Revised 09/18 Fillable

D&D 5th Revised--Gold 09/18

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.