I Search For Treasure

When do you roll for treasure?

For most of you it's probably when you create your dungeon. You follow treasure-type codes, make some rolls and voila -- treasure.

How many of you fudge this roll? 

What if you roll an artifact or some such object of enormous power?

When you pay for an adventure, do you expect the treasure to be listed? And when it is, do you wonder if it was specifically chosen or randomly determined? And if it was random, couldn't you have just done that yourself? Or is it simply a matter of convenience? 

In my published adventures the treasures are almost always specifically tailored for that adventure and most of the magic items are unique, never seen before. I do this because I think it is what people expect when they pay for something -- to see something they wouldn't (or couldn't) have come up with themselves. 

It's funny, because in my mind, the ultimate dungeon is still the stereotypical, randomly created, nonsensical dungeon. Random rooms, random monsters, random treasure, random traps, random, random, random... But, this is not what I create, at least not for sale, anyway. 

These days in OSR products there is sometimes a table called "I Search the Body" (first seen by me in LotFP books). These tables usually cover treasure in its more mundane form -- a dagger, some rations, a few coins, a potion of healing, etc., and are generally meant for the odd corpse here and there. These tables are fun and seem to suggest a more gritty type of game, a game where you're grateful to have a few more torches.

Have any of you ever played the game where treasure was never predetermined, but rather, rolled randomly right there on the spot? 

What if all treasure was: I Search the Body? Where, after a fight or searching an empty room, you open the book and let the players roll. It creates a mini game within the game, a new subsystem to the dungeon crawl, a new excitement for the players. There's a certain psychology and satisfaction when a player rolls to see what they've found, knowing that anything can happen and that it is even out of the DM's control.

Would you be willing to live with said results? No matter the level of the PCs? It takes a certain type of DM and not one who is worried too much about their precious campaign.

Remember DMs, you're not a storyteller, you're a referee. You're not writing a book. You're not even creating a world, the dice are. Sure, you've planted some seeds, but you don't know if they'll grow or even into what. So sorry if your favorite subplot never develops. It's your job to facilitate and interpret results; the dice should surprise you as almost as much as they do the players. Yes, you should be descriptive at times. I've always been known for making combat exciting, dangerous, and fun. After my combats, you feel like you've been in a fight. If an ogre hits you with a large club, I might say you go flying across the room, crashing into a wall, but don't worry, you can get up and do whatever you were gonna do, unless there was a specific die result that states you remain prone. Anyway, back to treasure...

You could have fun with this: Ok, you rolled a weapon... a sword... a two-handed sword... and then, you require a detect magic spell to reveal the exact type, at which point they would make the final roll. BTW, Detect Magic is probably one of the most neglected spells in the game and I am as guilty as anyone. Or you can just tell them exactly what they've found, that's what the vast majority of us have all done throughout the years. Afterall, magic is not mundane, its power should emanate. I'm reminded of Larry Elmore's outstanding painting for the Basic D&D Companion Set, were the knight wields a two-handed sword absolutely overflowing with power. 

More and more I favor random results for everything, I've even been questioning the notion of stratified dungeon levels. 1st levels could be as random and dangerous as the wilderness (though yes, the wilderness is stratified to a degree -- e.g., plains are not as dangerous as forests or mountains, unless there's a dragon flying above...).

I wonder how many randomly created adventures are out there where people thought, My God, this is genius!

I'm not looking for answers, this is just food for thought, a sort of continuation of my previous post -- use your books at the table, they aren't just for prep.

Game on.

Memorial Day 2025

Praise the fighters and the fallen.

Last Day of The Lamentations Of The Flame Princess 2 For 1 Sale!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoIwynS8DUg

Esoteric Enterprises: Character Sheets

Mystic?  Mercenary?

Emmy Allen's Esoteric Enterprises arrived on my door-step about a week ago and after flipping through the book several times, I realized -- no character sheet.  I knew what I'd be doing for the next few days.

I like the cadence of Emmy's writing -- reminds me of my favorite Lamentations books.  What a cool game..... 

So, here are a few character sheets.  The first two are called Basic because they have wider lines to write on.  The Standard version has narrower information lines for smaller writing and potentially more info.  The Circuits version adds circuitry for flavor and a reminder of where certain bonuses are applied.  Each version has a sheet that uses dice pips for skills, and one that uses empty boxes.

Hopefully you find them useful as you seek black market treasures in the tunnels beneath the tunnels below.

Esoteric Enterprises Basic No-Dice

Esoteric Enterprises Basic Dice

Esoteric Enterprises Standard No-Dice

Esoteric Enterprises Standard Dice

Esoteric Enterprises Circuits No-Dice

Esoteric Enterprises Circuits Dice

The Dungeoneer.

I love Class Systems and I love Race-As-Class.  But.....

For those of you out there that want a gritty, low-magic, Black Company style campaign, without having to switch to another system, try this.....

The Dungeoneer is a randomly rolled amalgamation of Fighter, Magic-User, Thief, and Cleric.  No two characters will be the same.  Some will be more fighter-like, some more thief-like.  Some will advance quicker, others will be tougher.  Each will be a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none.  All will feel like adventurers.

The Racial ability modifiers below are mere suggestions.  Feel free to differentiate the races however you like, or consider the Dungeoneer a human-only class.

The Dungeoneer

Choose or Roll 1d4 for Race, then determine your Stats...
1.  Human -- 3d6 down the line.
2.  Dwarf -- Con: 2d6+6, Randomly determine 1 other ability to be 2d6+1, the rest are 3d6.
3.  Elf -- Dex: 2d6+6, Randomly determine 1 other ability to be 2d6+1, the rest are 3d6.
4.  Halfling -- Str: 2d6+1, Randomly determine 1 other ability to be 2d6+6, the rest are 3d6.

• For every +1 bonus you have from Intelligence, you get 1 free randomly rolled Thief skill every time you level up until your bonuses are used up.
• For every +1 bonus from Wisdom, you get a bonus 1st-level spell any time you roll "Spell-Caster" until your bonuses are used up. 

You Make Saving Throws as a...Roll 1d4...
1.  Fighter
2.  Magic-User
3.  Cleric
4.  Thief

Your Hit Die is...Roll 1d6...(or you could just default to d6 for all Dungeoneers)
1-2.  d4
3-4.  d6
5-6.  d8

Class Abilities...Roll on this chart 4 times at 1st level and 2 times for every level gained there after (optional:  When you gain a level, you may forgo your 2 new class ability rolls to improve a class ability that you already have by 1 level)  ....Roll %
  1-25.  +1 To-Hit.
26-35.  Armor Training (everyone starts out trained in Leather armor.)  Every time you roll this you                      improve to better armor:  Scale, Chain, Banded, Plate, Full-Plate.  Anyone can use a                               shield.
36-50.  Weapon Training (everyone starts out trained in d4 & d6 weapons.)  The first time you roll                     this, you become trained in the use of d8 weapons.  The second time -- d10, the third and                       any subsequent time, you gain a +1 to damage rolls.
51-60.  Turn Undead as a 1st-level Cleric (turning level goes up by 1 every time you roll this.)
61-85.  Thief skills (Some Thief skills come in pairs.  They all start at 3rd level ability, increasing 2                      levels every time you roll them.....Roll 1d8...)
               1.  Open Locks
               2.  Find/Remove Traps
               3.  Climb Walls
               4.  Move Silently/Hide in Shadows
               5.  Pick Pockets
               6.  Hear Noise
               7.  Languages (you gain a new language, lucky you)
               8.  Back-Stab (standard Thief Back-Stab, +4 to-hit, damage of x2, multiplier or to-hit bonus                        increases by 1 every time you roll this ((multiplier can't go higher than x6.))

*For Lamentations of the Flame Princess style skills roll here.  The first time you roll a skill you have it at 2 in 6.  It increases by 1 every time you roll it....Roll 1d10...
               1.  Architecture
               2.  Bushcraft
               3.  Climb
               4.  Languages
               5.  Search
               6.  Sleight of Hand
               7.  Sneak Attack
               8.  Stealth
               9.  Tinker
             10.  Your Choice

86-95.  Spell-Caster. Use the Magic-User spell progression table.  You cast spells at 1st-level ability,                  your caster level goes up by 1 every time you roll this.  All spells must be determined                             randomly.  Roll 1d6 to see what kind of spells you gain each time you roll this, 1-3 you                             learn a Magic-User spell(s), 4-6 you learn a Cleric spell(s).  This is the only way that                               you can learn new spells.  You can also use scrolls.
96-00.  Find Secret Doors (starts as 2 in 6 when you roll this and goes up 1 every time it's rolled.)

Your XP Progression is like a...Roll 1d4...
1.  Fighter
2.  Magic-User
3.  Cleric
4.  Thief

• If you don't like the idea of varied progression, a good default XP table for all Dungeoneers would be the Cleric. 

Starting Gold:  3d6

Thoughts and Forcasted Features of the Dungeoneer Class

• Not all Dungeoneers are created equal.
• Varying Hit Dice shows that Destiny has a different plan for us all.
• Varying XP Progression shows that we don't all learn at the same rate.
• More book-keeping -- you'll have a variety of abilities at different levels of competency. 
• Mid-High level Undead will ALWAYS be a threat.
• Eventually, everyone will be a minor spell-caster.
• Mid-High level spells will be VERY RARE.
• As written, a  group of Dungeoneers will be weaker than a normal group do to a lack of Spell Power and Armor Training.  To counter-act this, you can simply increase the number of ability rolls every level or increase the starting levels for thief skills and spell-casting. 
• If you want "Spell-Caster" (or any other ability) to be rolled more often, simply tweak the % chances on the chart.
• Using the Lamentations skills as opposed to the B/X skills will generally lead to more competent Dungeoneers (Climb is an obvious exception.) 
• Don't use the Dungeoneer for NPCs, too much book-keeping.

Sample Dungeoneers

Gwyn, Human, 1st-level Dungeoneer

Str:  10
Dex:  12
Con:  10
Int:  13 (+1)
Wis:  11
Cha:  10

Hit Dice:  1d6
Hit Points:  5
Armor Class: 6 (14) Scale
Save as:  Thief
   D: 13
  W: 14
   P: 13
   B: 16
   S: 15

XP Progression as:  Cleric
Languages:  Common, Elven

Abilities

• Weapon Training: d8
• Armor Training: Scale
• +0 to-hit
• Spell-Caster (1st level) spell: Resist Cold
• Open Locks (3rd-level): 25%  (LotFP, Tinker:2 in 6)
• Pick Pockets (3rd-level): 30% (LotFP, Sleight of Hand: 2 in 6)

Starting Gold: 140 (remaining: 11)

Equipment
Scale Mail Armor
Short-Bow (+0 to-hit) 1d6, 20 arrows
Sword (+0 to-hit) 1d8
Dagger (+0 to-hit) 1d4
Backpack
Iron Rations, 1 week
50' Rope with Grappling Hook

Gwyn at 5th-level 

Str:  10
Dex:  12
Con:  10
Int:  13 (+1)
Wis:  11
Cha:  10

Hit Dice:  5d6
Hit Points:  18
Armor Class: 6 (14) Scale
Save as:  Thief
   D: 11
  W: 12
   P: 11
   B: 14
   S: 13

XP Progression as:  Cleric
XP: 12,000  (6th-level: 25,000)
Languages:  Common, Elven

Abilities

• Weapon Training: d8
• Armor Training: Scale
• +3 to-hit
• Spell-Caster (2nd level) spells: Resist Cold, Remove Fear
• Open Locks (5th-level): 35%  (LotFP, Tinker:3 in 6) 
• Pick Pockets (5th level): 40%  (LotFP, Sleight of Hand:3 in 6)
• Back-Stab x2, +4 to-hit (total back-stab to-hit: +7)
• Find/Remove Traps (3rd level):20%/20%  (LotFP, Tinker:2 in 6)

Starting Gold: N/A

Equipment
Scale Mail Armor
Short-Bow (+3 to-hit) 1d6, 20 arrows
Sword (+3 to-hit) 1d8
Dagger (+3 to-hit) 1d4
Backpack
Iron Rations, 1 week
50' Rope with Grappling Hook

Doro, Halfling, 1st-level Dungeoneer

Str:  8 (-1)
Dex:  13 (+1)
Con:  17 (+2)
Int:  13 (+1)
Wis:  14 (+1)
Cha:  13  (+1)

Hit Dice:  1d4+2
Hit Points:  4
Armor Class: 6 (14) Leather + Dex
Save as:  Fighter
   D: 12
  W: 13
   P: 14
   B: 15
   S: 16

XP Progression as:  Fighter
Languages:  Common, Goblin

Abilities

• Weapon Training: d6
• Armor Training: Leather
• +2 to-hit
• Find Secret Doors (2 in 6)
• Open Locks (3rd level): 25%  (LotFP, Tinker:2 in 6)
• Climb Walls (3rd-level): 89%  (LotFP, Climb:2 in 6)

Starting Gold: 150 (remaining: 58)

Equipment
Leather Armor
2 Daggers (+1 to-hit) 1d4-1
2 Slings (+3 to-hit) 1d4, 30 bullets
Short-Sword (+1 to-hit) 1d6-1
Backpack
Iron Rations, 1 week
50' Rope with Grappling Hook

Doro at 5th-level

Str:  8 (-1)
Dex:  13 (+1)
Con:  17 (+2)
Int:  13 (+1)
Wis:  14 (+1)
Cha:  13  (+1)

Hit Dice:  5d4+10
Hit Points:  19
Armor Class: 6 (14) Leather + Dex
Save as:  Fighter
   D: 10
  W: 11
   P: 12
   B: 13
   S: 14

XP Progression as:  Fighter
XP:  16,000  (6th-level: 32,000)
Languages:  Common, Goblin

Abilities

• Weapon Training: d6
• Armor Training: Leather
• +6 to-hit
• Find Secret Doors (2 in 6)
• Open Locks (3rd level): 25%  (LotFP, Tinker:2 in 6)
• Move Silently/Hide in Shadows (3rd-level): 30%/20%  (LotFP, Stealth:2 in 6)
• Climb Walls (5th-level): 91%  (LotFP, Climb:3 in 6)
• Back-Stab x2, +4 to-hit (total back-stab to-hit: +9)
• Turn Undead (1st-level)

Starting Gold: N/A

Equipment
Leather Armor
2 Daggers (+5 to-hit) 1d4-1
2 Slings (+7 to-hit) 1d4, 30 bullets
Short-Sword (+5 to-hit) 1d6-1
Backpack
Iron Rations, 1 week
50' Rope with Grappling Hook
Holy Symbol

...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.

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.

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

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....