Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Writing an OSR(?) game from memory, Part 2: Races, classes

The project continues. Aplogies for the terrible blogger formatting. I'm noticing this is a bit stream-of-consciousness. I can't really remember the specifics of XP, saves, and spell tables so expect a lot of discrepancies to pop up.



Races:
Races are somewhat akin to species. Races are broadly categorized into humans (us), demi-humans (dwarves, elves, gnomes, halflings), and humanoids (goblins, hobgoblins, kobolds, orcs)

Man
Men (and women) are typical examples of humankind.
Racial languages: Common
Extra languages: Dragon, dwarven, elven, goblin, kobold, giant, orcish, sylvan
Powers: None
Typical alignment: Neutral (with notable outliers)
Classes & level limits: All classes, no level limits

Dwarf/Gnome
Short, human-like creatures with great beards (for males) or great manes (for females). Dwarves are stocky, live in mountains, and hate goblins; gnomes are thin , live in hills, and hate kobolds.
Racial languages: Dwarven and common
Extra languages: Giant, goblin, kobold
Powers: Infravision 30' range (they can see in grayscale but only in total darkness), 1-in-6 chance of automatically detecting hidden stonework features, dips, rises, or other details in rock, +1 to hit and damage against goblins (dwarves)/kobolds (gnomes).
Typical alignment: Lawful
Classes & level limits: Fighting-man 7; cleric 5 (dwarves only); magic-user 5 (gnomes only)

Elf
Lithe, human-like creatures with pointed ears. Elves usually live in or near forests.
Racial languages: Elven and common
Extra languages: Orcish, sylvan
Powers: Infravision 30' range (they can see in grayscale but only in total darkness), 1-in-6 chance of automatically detecting hidden doors or other entrances, may advance as both fighting-men AND magic-users simultaneously, allotting XP earned to one class per session, using the best values for HAC0, saves, and total hit dice. Elf fighting-men/magic-users may use any weapons but not shields or plate armor. 
Typical alignment: Chaotic with Neutral minority
Classes & level limits: Fighting-man 8; magic-user 6; anti-cleric 7


Halfling
Halflings are about 3-1/2' tall human-like creatures with hairy/furry hands and feet. The possess keen eyesight.
Racial languages: Common
Extra languages: Goblin, kobold
Powers: Infravision 30' range (they can see in grayscale but only in total darkness), +1 to hit and damage with ranged weapons.
Typical alignment: Neutral with Lawful minority
Classes & level limits: Fighting-man 6; shaman 5

Classes:
Explanation of some terms:
] Level: Relative measure of power.
] Hit dice: Abbreviated HD, the number of six-sided dice rolled to generate hit points (hp). Pluses are added and minuses are subtracted but a minimum of 1 hp is gained per each hit die.
] XP needed: Experience required to obtain this level.
] HAC0: The unmodified roll needed to Hit Armor Class (AC) 0 (zero). To hit AC 9 subtract 9, to hit AC -9 add 9, etc.
] Save vs. _____: Roll 1d20 against certain effects or at referee's discretion, if the number equals or exceeds this number then the effect will either be lessened or negated.
] Spells per day: The maximum number of spells that can be stored for use within the caster's mind.

Fighting-man
Fighting-men (and fighting-women, fighting-elves, etc.) are masters of martial arts. They can use any weapon or armor.

Level | Hit Dice | XP needed | HAC0 | Save vs death | poison/paralysis | breath | spell | wand
1   | 1 | 0 | 19 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 16| 14
2   | 2 | 2000 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 14
3   | 3 | 4000 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 14
4   | 4 | 6000 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 14
5   | 5 | 8000 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 13
6   | 6 | 10000 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 13
7   | 7 | 12000 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 13
8   | 8 | 14000 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 12
9   | 9 | 16000 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 12
10 | 9+2 | 18000 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 12
11 | 9+4 | 20000 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 11
12 | 9+6 | 22000 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 12 | 11

 
Magic-User
The magic-user uses esoteric knowledge to cast spells. A magic-user starts with a spellbook containing 1 randomly determined spell (see the Spells section for details), a gift from his master(s). =EDIT= Magic-users may only use daggers, staves, and slings and may not wear any armor.        

Level | Hit Dice | XP needed | HAC0 | Save vs death | poison/paralysis | breath | spell | wand
1  | 1 | 0 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 14| 12
2  | 2 | 4000 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 12
3  | 2 | 6000 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 12
4  | 3 | 8000 | 19 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 11
5  | 4 | 10000 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 11
6  | 5 | 12000 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 11
7  | 5 | 14000 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 10
8  | 6 | 16000 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 10
9  | 7 | 18000 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 10
10 | 8 | 20000 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 9
11 | 8 | 22000 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 9
12 | 9 | 24000 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 8

Magic-user spells per day
Character level | # of 1st-level spells | # 2nd | # 3rd | # 4th | # 5th | # 6th
1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - |
2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - |
3 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
4 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - |
5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - |
6 | 5 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - |
7 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | - | - |
8 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 | - | - |
9 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | - |
10 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 | - |
11 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1
12  | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2

Cleric/Shaman/Anti-cleric
The servants of the gods, most obvious soldiers in the Cosmic Struggle.

Clerics are Lawful. Their holy symbols are the ankh or sun. They cannot use bladed or piercing weapons. If they cast reversed spells they have a 30% chance of their god(s) taking away their spellcasting abilities for 1d6 days. They have the power to turn (repel) or destroy undead.

Shamans are Neutral. Their holy symbols (carved from bone or wood) are animals, plants, and elements. They may only use weapons and armor made from "living" materials (leather, wood, bone, etc.). They may cast reversed and unreversed spells freely.

Anti-Clerics are Chaotic. Their holy symbols are the skull, inhuman eye, or savage maw. They cannot use bladed or piercing weapons. If they cast unreversed spells they have a 30% chance of their god(s) taking away their spellcasting abilities for 1d6 days. Anti-clerics who obviously display their allegiance will never receive a "hostile" reaction from Chaotic creatures or a "helpful" reaction from Lawful creatures (this does not allow them to act without consequence).

Level | Hit Dice | XP needed | HAC0 | Save vs death | poison/paralysis | breath | spell | wand
1     | 1 | 0        | 20 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15| 13
2     | 2 | 3000  | 19 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 13
3     | 2 | 5000  | 19 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 13
4     | 3 | 7000  | 18 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 12
5     | 4 | 9000  | 17 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 12
6     | 5 | 11000 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 12
7     | 6 | 13000 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11
8     | 6 | 15000 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11
9     | 7 | 17000 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11
10   | 8 | 19000 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10
11   | 9 | 21000 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10
12 | 9+2 | 23000 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10

Cleric/shaman/anti-cleric spells per day
Character level | # of 1st-level spells | # 2nd | # 3rd | # 4th | # 5th | # 6th
1* | - | - | - | - | - | - |
2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - |
3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - |
4 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
5 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - |
6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - |
7 | 4 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - |
8 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | - | - |
9 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | - | - |
10 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | - |
11 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | - |
12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1
*1st-level clerics/shamans/anti-clerics cannot cast spells

Turning/repelling/destroying undead
Cleric level | Undead 1 HD | 2 HD | 3 HD | 4 HD | 5 HD | 6 HD | 7 HD | 8 HD | 9 HD | 10 HD | 11+ HD
1   | 7 | 10 | - | - | - | - | - |  - | - | - | - |
2   | 5 | 8 | 11 | - | - | - | - |  - | - | - | - |
3   | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | - | - | - |  - | - | - | - |
4   | A | 4 | 7 | 9 | 12 | - | - |  - | - | - | - |
5   | A | A | 5 | 7 | 9 | 12 | - |  - | - | - | - |
6   | D | A | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 12 |  - | - | - | - |
7   | D | D | A | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 12 | - | - | - |
8   | D | D | A| A | 3 | 5 | 7 |  9 | 12| - | - |
9   | D | D | D | A | A | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 12 | - |
10 | D | D | D | D | A | A | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 12 |
11 | D | D | D | D | D | A | A | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9|
12 | D | D | D | D | D | D | A | A | 3 | 3 | 7 |

To turn undead a cleric must present his holy symbol with a free hand. The player then rolls 2d6 and if the result equals or exceeds any number shown then the undead are turn away and cannot approach or attack the cleric or his party for 10 minutes (1 turn). All of the closest and weakest undead are affected first. An "A" indicates automatic turning and a "D" indicates that turned undead are instead destroyed.


Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Writing an OSR(?) game from memory, Part 1: Goals, ability scores, alignment

Somewhat inspired by the Gygax 75 challenge, I've decided to write an OSR(-compatible) game from memory. I won't be referencing any rulebooks, modules, or SRDs. I expect the result to look a bit like LBB with weird bits of B/X, 1e, 2e, and some homebrew. I will gather my end results and throw them up as a formatted PDF on Drivethrurpg.



Goals:
] all character creation information
] at least 3 races
] at least 3 classes, at least one of which is a spell caster
] full spell list for casters
] equipment list
] full exploration rules
] full combat rules 
] full treasure and magic items
] enough monsters to populate 3 dungeon levels' worth of encounters
] enough monsters to populate 3 biomes' worth of encounters


Character Creation
To create a character one must generate abilities, select a race, select a class, determine spells, and purchase equipment.

Ability Scores
Ability scores represent general physical and mental aptitudes in numerical fashion. Roll 3d6 6 times, assigning each number in order to the following abilities:

Strength: Represents muscle power. It is most important to fighting-men.
Scores | Fighting-manXP | Force doors/objects
3-6 | -10% | 1-in-6
7-14 | - | 2-in-6
15-18 | +10% | 4-in-6

Intelligence: Represents intellect, logic, and memory. It is most important to magic-users.
Scores | Magic-User XP | Languages | Literacy | Chance to learn spell (Magic-Users)
3-6 | -10% | Alignment and racial | Illiterate* | 60**
7-14 | - | Alignment and racial | Literate | 70**
15-18 | +10% | Alignment, racial, plus one extra language | Literate | 80%**
*illiterate magic-user require the aid of a literate magic-user to teach them spells
**modified by spell level

Wisdom: Represents insight, senses, and reflection. It is most important to clerics, shamans, and anti-clerics. 
Scores | Cleric XP | Modifier on saves vs mental/emotional/spiritual effects
3-6 | -10% | -2
7-14 | - | -

15-18 | +10% | +2
Constitution: Represents endurance and general health. It is important for all characters.
Scores | Hit point modifier per hit die | System shock survival chance
3-4 | -1 | 45%
5-14 | - | 70%

17-18 | +1 | 95%
Dexterity: Represents reflexes and coordination.

Scores | Modifier on ranged attacks
3-8 | -1
9-12 | -

13-18 | +1


Charisma: Represents personal magnetism and self-confidence.
Scores | Reaction modifier | Maximum henchmen | Base loyalty
3-4 | -2 | 2 | 8
6-8 | -1 | 2 | 10
9-12 | - | 3 | 12
13-16 | +1 | 4 | 14
17-18 | +2 | 4 | 16


Alignment
All of creation is involved in the cosmic struggle between Law and Chaos; even those who refrain from the battle unknowingly side with Neutrality. Mortals (and many immortals) are not perfect representations of their alignments but their attitudes and actions convey their allegiances. All characters must select an alignment, and some alignments cannot pursue certain classes. All characters know their alignment language (Lawful, Neutral, or Chaotic); a character whose alignment changes lose access to the alignment language until his alignment reverts or someone from his new alignment teaches him the new language.

Law can be roughly equated to "Good"; Even at their worst, Lawful people act with noble intentions and try to help others.

Chaos can be roughly equated to "Evil"; Even at their best, Chaotic people act with corrupt intentions and try to hinder others.

Neutrality often represents a lack of commitment or a desire to avoid trouble but for some it is a philosophy of "Balance" in the cosmos.

Selected creatures' typical alignments
LAW========NEUTRALITY========CHAOS
Men                    Men                                    Men
Dwarves             Halflings                            Goblins
Cavemen            Orcs                                   Hobgoblins
Treants               Ogres                                 Trolls
Judicators           Elementals                        Balors
Dragons             Dragons                            Dragons

Underlined creatures are equally likely to be Neutral or Chaotic
Italic creatures are equally likely to be Lawful or Neutral