Tag Archives: shield

Spell Variations: Wizards’ Panache

Celestial & Arcane, , , , , , , ,

The Color of Magic was an excellent article from Dragon Magazine issue no. 200 by Dan Joyce. I particularly liked it because it showed how the real game isn’t about rules and dice rolling–it’s about story and wonder. It explained how the mechanics of various spells (do damage, heal, improve AC, etc.) are really all the same, it’s how the spells are perceived that make the real difference. Additionally, I have found it a useful technique to tweak certain spells that seem “broken” for a particular campaign.

Here are some spell books that were put together based on that article. The first one is especially an attribute to the article: Maximus the Black’s Book of Darkness.

The Book of Darkness

First level

Shield (Phase blur). The spell causes the caster’s appearance becomes a shadowy and blurred with the appearance of no substance. Other creatures have a harder time seeing the caster as his shadow flickers, making him harder to hit.

Darkness. Standard spell.

Magic missile (Black disc). This spell fires a disc of darkness at one enemy within range with the standard effects. The disc(s) are nearly invisible in dungeon settings with little light.

Second level

Continual darkness. Standard spell.

Invisibility (Darkwalk). This spell cloaks the caster in darkness, allowing the caster to hide in shadows as long as he doesn’t attack or cast a spell.

Third level

Fly (Shadewing). This spell causes shadowy wings to sprout from the back, allowing the caster to fly. These wings have no substance.

Hold person (Darkhold). This spell causes thin, wispy hands made of darkness attempt to grab and hold targets at their location. Victims who fail their saving throw, may also not be moved by another. Another save may be made by the victim whenever someone tries to free them to see if they can break away from the spell.

Lightning bolt (Black ray). This spell fires a ray of darkness, starting from the caster and extending up to 60′ away. It does not bounce off of walls.

Fourth level

Dimension door (Shadowblink). This spell transports the caster, leaving an area of darkness in his shape behind that lasts for 2 rounds.

Wall of ice (Wall of darkness). Blocks sight, but does not cause damage. Any creatures crossing it must save vs. spells or be blinded instead.

Book of the Elements

This next book was an attempt to create elemental versions of some spells, and would be a good addition to the combined spell books of Illfrith and Imran from the article.

First level

Sleep (Chill). All targets within area of the spell will suddenly feel cold shiver and fall asleep within 1d4 rounds as the feeling overtakes them. Unaffected creatures feel the cold for 1d4 rounds as well, but suffer no effects.

Protection from evil (Whirlwind). This spell creates a small whirlwind of force that surrounds the caster that deflects some damage and blocks enchanted creatures.

Magic missile (Shocking grasp). This spell shocks one creature within range without any other visible sign of an attack.

Shield (Stoneskin). The caster’s skin becomes harder and changes to resemble stone.

Third level

Lightning bolt (Cone of cold). This spell creates a cone of cold that starts at the caster, extending up to 60′ away and is 30′ wide at the far end. It does not bounce off walls.

Fourth level

Wall of fire (Electromagnetic barrier). This spell calls forth a shimmering curtain of electrical force which blocks site. Creatures attempting to pass through take lightning damage.

Fifth level

Hold monster (Bands of ice). With this spell the caster attempts to trap the targets targets with bands of ice. If the save is made, the target breaks free.

Fighter Combat Skills

Character Classes, , , , , , , , , ,

Let’s face it, playing a Fighter level after level can get a little boring. A good DM will include some pretty interesting magical items, but aside from that it’s likely that your strategy in battle tends to be “attack the nearest enemy.” A few things have been tried in the history of D&D to make the Fighter a little more interesting and give players something to look forward to.

The Cyclopedia’s Fighter Combat Options seem to have been a combined attempt at codifying the kinds of maneuvers that characters can make in a board game-like battle, and to give fighters a couple of extra moves so they can do something besides roll 1d20 in a fight.

Then there are the optional Weapon Mastery rules. This complicated rule set certainly does add a lot more for Fighters, but seems to unbalance the game too much in the favor of Fighters in general–giving them not only increased weapon damage, but a slew of other techniques for disarming, deflecting weapons, and stunning opponents–all at relatively low levels.

So here is another idea: a set of skills that Fighters get as they increase in level. These skills are mostly maneuvers like the Fighter Combat Options, and you can consider them to be a revised version. (You may want to allow Fighters to always Set Spear vs. Charge, etc.) Comments are appreciated, and I will update this post if I think I can fit the changes in. One particular question is whether or not some of these should be replaced with archery or other ranged skills (aimed attacks, etc.)

Level			Skill
-----			-----
8			Bash
10			Parry
12			Second Attack
14			Disarm
16			Grip
18			Third Attack
20			Dual Weild
22			Dodge
24			Fourth Attack
26			Smash
28			Berserk
30			Fifth Attack
32			Circle
34			Counter
36			Sixth Attack

Bash (level 8) – With this maneuver, the character attempts to bash his opponent with a shield in an attempt to stun the opponent briefly. A bash receives a -2 penalty to hit, and if successful, the opponent must make a Save vs. Paralysis or be unable to take action for one round. A bash maneuver counts as an attack.

Parry (level 10) – Allows a fighter to block a small or medium sized weapon, and thrown missiles, with their own weapon. The player must make a counter “hit roll” (including normal to-hit bonuses). If the player’s roll is higher than the attacker’s roll, the attack is deflected. Thrown missiles are parried with a -2 to the roll. This counts as an attack.

Second Attack (level 12) – Allows a fighter to make a second attack per round. These are attacks, and do not give the fighter two full “moves” including movement, etc. They may be used for other combat options. The DM may also allow some movement (up to 5′) between attacks.

Disarm (level 14) – Allows a fighter to disarm an opponent of an armed weapon, using their own weapon. The player must make a hit roll using bonuses from both Strength and Dexterity. If the hit roll is successful, the victim must make a counter roll using bonuses from both Strength and Dexterity to avoid being disarmed. This counts as an attack.

Grip (level 16) – This skill is not a maneuver, but gives the character a +4 bonus against being disarmed.

Third Attack (level 18) – Allows a fighter to make a third attack per round.

Dual Wield (level 20) – Allows a fighter to wield two weapons and make an extra attack with the second weapon. The extra attack makes hit rolls at a -4 penalty.

Dodge (level 22) – The fighter receives a -4 bonus to AC vs one attacking opponent using melee or thrown missile weapons. The fighter must sacrifice one attack to dodge.

Fourth Attack (level 24) – Allows a fighter to make a fourth attack per round.

Smash (level 26) – Allows a fighter to make a devastating blow, using both hands. This move suffers a -2 penalty to initiative, and a -2 penalty to hit. If successful, the fighter adds entire strength score to damage. This move is done in lieu of all attacks other attacks and maneuvers for that round.

Berserk (level 28) – When going into a berserker rage, the fighter must be focused on one opponent, and may not attack other opponents. The fighter must then fight the opponent to the death–the rage lasts until either the fighter or the opponent is killed. While enraged, the fighter receives a +2 bonus to hit rolls, a +2 bonus to damage rolls, and two extra attacks per round, but suffers a +4 penalty to AC. The fighter may not parry, disarm, circle, or counter. Furthermore, the fighter can continue fighting and does not fall dead until reaching -10 hit points. If the rage ends with the fighter at zero hit points or lower, the fighter will collapse dead.

Fifth Attack (level 30) – Allows a fighter to make a fifth attack per round.

Circle (level 32) – Similar to the theif’s backstab, the fighter attempts to circle around his opponent in battle and attack from behind. This cannot be achieved unless the opponent is distracted by other attackers, and only when there is room to move around. In such cases, the fighter may make his attacks with a -4 penalty to hit, but doing double normal weapon damage. Circling itself counts as one maneuver, while the attack also counts as one. (A successful circle and and backstab maneuver requires two attacks.)

Counter (level 34) – Allows a fighter to make a counter attack after any attack is made. This is allowed in addition to fighter’s own moves, and happens on the opponent’s turn.

Sixth Attack (level 36) – Allows a fighter to make a sixth attack per round.

* SMAUG MUD players may notice some similarities.

Seems like a bit much? Ok, here’s a lite version for the less ambitious:

Level			Skill
-----			-----
9			Bash
12			Second Attack
15			Parry
18			Disarm
21			Grip
24			Third Attack
27			Dual Weild
30			Smash
33			Berserk
36			Fourth Attack

Half-orc

Character Classes, , , , , , , , ,
  • Prime Requisite: Strength. Other Requirements: Constitution 9, or better.
  • Experience Bonus: 5% for Strength 13-15; 10% for Strength 16-18.
  • Hit Dice: 1d8 per level up to 9th level. Starting with 10th level, +2 hp per level and Constitution adjustments no longer apply.
  • Maximum Level: 12 (36, if optional rules are used.)
  • Armor: Any; shields permitted.
  • Weapons: Any.
  • Special Abilities: Fighter Maneuvers (Lance Attack and Set Spear vs. Charge maneuvers at 1st level; at 660,000 XP, Fighter Combat Options); extra languages (Orc and player’s choice of: Ogre or Goblin); infravision; Hear Noise; Detect by Smell

Half-orcs stand between 5 1/2 and 6 feet tall, weighing in around 200 pounds. They are stocky, with course black or brown hair, dark skin and dark eyes. Some half-orcs have reddish hair, and lighter color eyes are not unknown, just very rare.

  • Combat Chart: Dwarf, if optional rules are used, half-orcs attack as fighters.
  • Saving Throws: Fighter. Half-orcs receive a +3 bonus on saves vs. Poison.
  • Hear Noise: This ability works exactly the same as the Thief ability with the same name.
  • Detect by Smell: This ability allows the half-orc to detect, and possibly follow, various scents that are beyond the smell of humans. The half-orc may be able to detect someone who is following the party (provided they have a scent,) or poisons in food, etc.
Level	XP	Attack Rank	Hear Noise	Detect Smell
1	0			25		5
2	2,200			30		10
3	4,400			35		15
4	8,800			40		20
5	17,000			45		25
6	35,000			50		30
7	70,000			54		34
8	140,000			58		38
9	270,000			62		42
10	400,000			66		46
11	530,000			70		50
12	660,000*	C	74		53
	800,000		D		
	1,000,000	E		
	1,200,000	F		
	1,400,000	G		
	1,600,000	H		
	1,800,000	I		
	2,000,000	J		
	2,200,000**	K		
	2,400,000	L		
	2,600,000	M

* Gain Fighter Combat Options: Two attacks are possible at this level.
** Three attacks per round are possible at this level.

If optional rules are used for level advancement, half-orcs advance exactly as do dwarves (page 266, Rules Cyclopedia.)

Modified Mystic or Monk

Character Classes, , , , , , , , , ,

Modified Mystic and Monk from Dragon Magazine 09/1981

  • Prime Requisite: Strength and Dexterity. Other Requirements: Wisdom 9, or better.
  • Experience Bonus: 5% for Strength or Dexterity 16-18; 10% for Strength and Dexterity 16-18.
  • Hit Dice: 1d6 per level up to 9th level. Starting with 10th level, +2/level after 9 with no CON adjustments.
  • Maximum Level: 21.
  • Armor: None; shield not permitted.
  • Weapons: Any.
  • Special Abilities: At 1st level — Armor Class bonuses, increased Movement, Find Traps, Climb Walls, Move Silently, Hear Noise, Martial Arts and Mystical Abilities.

All abilities and changes not noted here are no longer possessed by monks/mystics. In all other situations, use common sense and the Rules Cyclopedia.

  • Combat Chart: Thief.
  • Saving Throws: Fighter.
  • Find Traps, Climb Walls, Move Silently, and Hear Noise: These work exactly as the Thief abilities with the same name.
  • Armor Class Bonuses: The Armor Class of monks improve with experience.
  • Movement: Monks move faster than normal humans, this rate improves with experience.
  • Martial Arts: Monks are the masters of unarmed combat. They receive multiple attacks when unarmed and bonuses to damage done with their hands and feet.
  • Mystical Abilities: These work exactly the same as those listed in the Rules Cyclopedia.

[easytable]
Level,XP,”Attack Rank”,”Find Traps”,”Climb Walls”,”Move Silently”,”Hear Noise”,Move,AC,”Unarmed Attacks”,Damage,Ability
1,0,,10,60,20,30,120,6,1,1d6,
2,”2,000″,,10,61,25,30,125,5,1,1d6,Awareness
3,”4,000″,,15,62,30,35,130,4,1,1d6,
4,”8,000″,,15,63,35,35,135,3,1,1d6,
5,”16,000″,,20,64,40,40,140,3,1,2d6,Heal Self
6,”32,000″,,20,65,44,40,145,2,2,2d6,
7,”64,000″,,25,66,48,45,150,2,2,2d6,
8,”120,000″,,25,67,52,45,155,1,2,2d6,Speak Animal
9,”240,000″,,30,68,55,50,160,1,2,3d6,
10,”360,000″,,30,69,58,50,165,0,2,3d6,
11,”480,000″,,35,70,61,54,170,0,3,3d6,Resistance
12,”600,000″,,35,71,64,54,175,-1,3,3d6,
13,”720,000″,,40,72,66,58,180,-1,3,4d6,
14,”840,000″,,40,73,68,58,185,-2,3,4d6,Speak Anyone
15,”960,000″,,45,74,70,62,190,-2,3,4d6,
16,”1,080,000″,,45,75,72,62,195,-3,4,4d6,
17,”1,200,000″,,50,76,73,66,200,-3,4,5d6,Mind Block
18,”1,320,000″,,50,77,74,66,205,-4,4,5d6,
19,”1,440,000″,,55,78,75,70,210,-4,4,5d6,
20,”1,560,000″,,55,79,76,70,215,-5,4,5d6,Gentle Touch
21,”1,680,00″,,60,80,77,74,220,-5,5,6d6,
,”1,920,000″,H,,,,,,,,,
,”2,160,000″,I,,,,,,,,,
,”2,400,000″,J,,,,,,,,,
,”2,640,000″,K,,,,,,,,,
,”2,880,000″,L,,,,,,,,,
,”3,120,000″,M,,,,,,,,,
[/easytable]

New Mystic Class

Character Classes, , , , , , , , ,

This is a combination of the Mystic/Monk classes I have posted before.

  • Prim Req: Wis and Dex; Other Requirements: Wis 13+, Dex 13+
  • Experience Bonus: 5% for Wis or Dex 16-18; 10% for Wis and Dex 16-18
  • Hit Dice: 1d6/level, +2/level after level 9 with no Con bonus
  • Maximum Level: 16
  • Armor: None; shield not permitted
  • Weapons: Any
  • Hit Rolls: as Fighter
  • Saving Throws: as Fighter

[easytable]
Level,Attacks,Damage,AC,Ability
1,1,1d4,9,
2,1,1d4,8,Awareness
3,1,1d4,8,
4,1,1d6,7,Acrobatics
5,2,1d6,7,
6,2,1d6,6,Heal Self
7,2,1d8,6,
8,2,1d8,5,Dodge
9,3,1d8,4,
10,3,1d10,3,Disarm
11,3,1d10,2,
12,3,1d10,1,Resistance
13,4,1d12,0,
14,4,1d12,-1,Mindblock
15,4,1d12,-2,
16,4,1d20,-3,Gentle Touch
[/easytable]
Notes:

  • No enchanted hand attacks
  • No increased movement
  • Can only Climb Walls, Move Silently, and Hide in Shadows as a thief
  • Multiple attacks are multiple actions: the mystic acts as if hasted, being able to perform more than one action
  • Gain XP normally, use Mystic XP chart from the Cyclopedia
  • No option to gain acrobatics at -20%
  • Acrobatics: same as the optional acrobatics of Mystics from the Cyclopedia
  • Dodge: similar to the Fighter Combat Option “parry”
  • Disarm: same as the Fighter Combat Option

The Isle of Dread

Myths & Legends, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by BAHUMUTH

Duch Year: 982

The huge saber crashed against the center of the iron sword, throwing its holder back a few steps, and then again in an overhand strike. The tall, plate-mailed knight brought down his steel broadsword down with all his might. The muscular, dark-skinned island-man threw his crude sword to parry, catching the broadsword at its hilt.

The Kikapa island-man, although naked, was very seasoned with his hilt less sword. Comparatively, the knight, mailed in white satin-draped field plate, definitely held the advantage. The Kikapa allowed the knight to come in at him and then fell back against the weight of the knight, causing the knight to lose his balance. He then used this advantage by stopping the collapse of the armor on himself with his leg and then swiped his sword hard against the knight’s head.

The crude sword of iron snapped in half. ‘It pays to have good weaponry.’, thought the knight. The Kikapa snarled and kicked the knight off of him, a split second before the well-smithed saber cut open his belly. The knight fell over backwards. The Kikapa quickly grabbed his blade by the backside and charged over to the downed knight. The knight waited for the precise moment and then rolled over as quickly as he could, causing the Kikapa to miss him by inches. The knight leaned up and struck with his gauntleted fist, hitting square in the groin. The Kikapa cried out in pain and the knight finished the job with a slice to the throat. Blood spewed from the Kikapa’s mouth and he fell face first to the ground in a pool of blood.

A collective gasp resounded from the audience, a surrounding circle of dark-skinned Kikapas. They looked in awe as their finest warrior was killed right in front of their eyes. They looked to the killer and to the party of newcomers to the isle that came with him, who watched the spectacle as they did. They had come to their village in piece a few moons ago in peace on a huge boat that up until then, they had only seen from afar, never before stopping on the isle except in legend.

Amongst the foreigners were warriors who had shaped great metal around them to use as armor. One was a tall, skinny, magical person with long ears, who called himself an elf. Another was a short, gruff long-beard, called a dwarf.

Another wore hide leather as armor, more perfectly tanned than any of the wise men had seen. There was also a man who could cast magic spells in a short black robe, and one of their young. There were two others that had come with them, but they were not present at the moment. Excluding the boy, they were all very muscular and fearsome people. They also had good food and valuables to trade for housing and simple information about the island. It was obvious the pale skins were used to the good food they brought because they never ate anything they had served them. But for all their wondrous items and magics, it had been learned that they couldn’t get food and water from the land and had to carry it on their bodies.

“Damn.”, the knight said, obviously displeased with himself. He walked up to his party of mercenaries and took off his now-tarnished helmet, revealing a handsome man with long black hair. His name was Sir Kage Swiftsword. The other human fighter in the group, Billard Greenhand, gave Sir Kage a few congratulating pats on the shoulder. “Is that what you call training?”, replied from Everett Speartip III, the elf of the party.

Meanwhile, incomprehensible shouts began to come from some of the individual Kikapas, but whether the shouts were directed towards the party or themselves, they couldn’t tell.

“What’s your quarrel? He attacked me. I had to kill him.” Sir Kage quickly retorted.

“I thought he just wanted to test his strength.” said Everett.

“That’s what I thought too!”, replied Kage, not pleased, “Then he got frustrated and his blows became real.” Two of the Kikapas were now carrying their tribe’s hero off while others argued amongst themselves in their language.

“I still can not believe how low and disgusting some humans are.” said Everett, “They’re probably taking him off so they can eat him and have a decent meal for once.”

“Ah, shut yer yap, ye snobby treefucker!” growled Stalfor Fireforge, the dwarf. Stalfor was actually an old friend of Everett’s (extremely old since both races were greatly long lived.) Normally, elves and dwarves had a common enmity between each other, and this showed up between the two of them at times.

“Your dribble humors me, gnomling.”, Everett retorted.

“Are they going to attack?”, asked Sir Kage.

“I doubt it.”, replied Denier Spellbook, the mage, “Tribal beliefs tend towards respect for the stronger man. They shouldn’t be bearing any grudges.” “That’s why they’re passing out spears.”, replied Stalfor bluntly.

The party looked to see many of the angered men grabbing spears from a man who brought a quiver of them.

Some men were charging them at that second.

“Let’s get out of here! Now!!!”, ordered Kage.

“What about Marina?!?”, cried Everett.

“No time!”, ordered Kage, grabbing Kirby by the hand, “We’ll have to come back for the others!” Stalfor, with 65 years worth of military and mercenary experience in a still-youthful and vigorous body, easily sidestepped the charging Kikapa and swung his axe into the man’s head. A second Kikapa caught Billard off guard on the side. The spear didn’t penetrate his plate mail armor, but the momentum pushed him to the ground. The Kikapa raised the spear again to stab him in the face when someone tackled him. The Kikapa was on the ground when he realized it was the kid. He was surprised at the weight of the pale men, such that the momentum of a young child could overtake him. Before he could push the kid off, he saw an arm wrap tightly around his head, covering his eyes, and felt a sharp blade cutting into his throat. A rush of cold air entered into his throat through the slit, taking away any death cries he might have made.

Albert Greegan, the leather-armored human of the party, let go of the Kikapa and wiped his dirk clean. Sir Kage rushed up, helped Billard up, reaffirmed his grasp on Kirby again, and resumed his course out of the Kikapa village. Kirby couldn’t keep to speed with Kage, so he pulled him onto his shoulders. Billard and Greegan grabbed some of the loose baggage on the ground and made a run for it. Denier, the only one ahead of Kage, led the way out of the village. Looking back, Kage saw the rest of the party behind him followed by a now more organized mob of Kikapas, charging them and shouting at the top of their lungs, quickly closing in on the much more encumbered party members. Sir Kage stopped and shouted as loud as he could, “Everett!!! Stalfor!!! Bring up the back end!!! There’s no way we’re going to out run them!!!” He couldn’t tell if they heard him. Everett and Stalfor were by far the strongest fighters of the band and had the best chance of holding off a horde of berserker spearmen for a short amount of time. Kage handed Kirby over to Greegan as he ran past. Kirby wrapped his arms tightly around Greegan as the rogue gripped Kirby by the back and shoulder. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!?”, shouted Stalfor as he and Everett came to a stop in front of him. “We can’t out run them! We’ll have to hold them off while the others escape!”, shouted Kage as Billard ran past them. “Great!”, Stalfor cried gleefully.

Sir Kage analyzed the charging mob. The Kikapas were holding their spears over handed next to their heads. All three of them were well trained in defense against untrained spear chargers, but Kage had never been so grossly outnumbered before.

The elf’s long swords sang as he unsheathed the weapons from the opposite sides of his belt. Just like Stalfor, Everett’s race was long-lived, giving him many years to train himself with not only many different weaponry and fighting styles, but magic as well. Not only that, each of his long swords emanated with it’s own unique magical enchantment.

Everett’s right sword glowed a dark red while his left shimmered between orange and red, like fire.

“Come on! I’m ready for ye!!!”, cheered Stalfor in the gruff voice he had. The three of them stood in their stance until the last second. Just as the first wave of men descended upon them, Kage and Stalfor brought their shields up, protecting themselves from the spears and brought their weapons in an underhanded swing into the chest. Everett had no shield but made the same defensive maneuver with his left long sword.

Suddenly, they were all over them, screaming death chants into their ears. Sir Kage kept his shield high and tried to do as much damage to the unguarded chests and torsos as possible. His hardest problem was staying vertical though. He knew if he fell, he was in trouble.

Stalfor knew long before most of his comrades were born that his choice in weaponry was not good in these scenarios. The axe holds a very committing swing, but its extra mass gives it a better bite. Stalfor used it for its betterment against armored enemies sacrificing the speed of a sword. His experience told him not to swing too hard.

Nevertheless, the third chest Stafor’s axe caved into sank too deep and wouldn’t let him get his weapon back. He could have pulled his axe out of the body if it was on the ground and he could step on it, but the dying Kikapa was being held up like a shield against the rest of the angered spearmen. When a spear came in at his side he knew he had to give his axe up to the body and simply charge headfirst into the man. The man went down and so did Stalfor. Spears began hitting the back of his armor and helmet and soon the men simply began to jump on him, trying to crush him under their weight.

Everett was by far the best off. His quickness with the enchanted long swords allowed him to dispatch his attackers quickly and efficiently. Bodies fell from his swords the same second they had come within range. All the while, the elf added insults to their fatal injuries as if the Kikapas could understand him. His right sword was now shining red with power. The enchanted sword fed off the wielder’s confidence. The greater the ego of the fighter, the more precise the swing and deeper the cut. The sword couldn’t be any more deadly in Everett’s hands.

It was obvious these Kikapas were untrained for true combat. None of Everett’s attackers had even been able to get close to him. Then Billard joined him, with mace and chain in hand. The weapon looked like a chain whip ending with a morning star, a spiked ball. The morning star smashed open the face of an attacking Kikapa as the victim’s spear broke against Billard’s armor. Everett began casting. Suddenly, a great bolt of lightning shot out of his hands, striking through three Kikapas, killing them all and scattering some more. “Come on! Stalfor’s in trouble!”, shouted Everett. Everett led the way there, slicing into any that crossed his path. They made their way behind the men Kage was holding back. Everett ran past them, using his fiery long sword to slice into the distracted backs of the tribesmen while using the other to guard his front. Billard, on the other hand, stopped to pull back and bring his morning star crashing into one of the Kikapa’s back, bashing the man to the ground instantly. Just then, Billard cried out in pain as a spear lodged itself in an opening of the field plate at the shoulder. He looked to see if Everett would help him with the enemy but Everett had already gone on ahead.

The Kikapa tried to push the spear in deeper. Billard tightened his grip and swung as hard as he could in an upward arc. The attack was clumsy though, and it, arcing harmlessly to the side of his attacker. But the action startled the Kikapa enough for him to let go of the spear. He punched with the hilt of his weapon, hitting the Kikapa in the face. The spear loser’s face dropped as he grabbed at it and Billard brought the morning star down on the unfortunate man’s head.

The sword slices Everett gave were just the distraction Kage needed to save himself. He exploded into motion, stabbing and slicing every man who had dared to turn his head for a second towards Everett. One man went down underneath Billard’s morning star before Sir Kage could get to him. Another Kikapa looked back just in time as the edge of Kage’s saber made an upward slice into his face, shooting a line of blood upwards. The Kikapa grabbed his face, knowing it was the worst thing he could do directly in front of his enemy and was no surprised when he felt a sword imbed itself inside his stomach. A weaponless Kikapa wrapped his arm Kage’s neck. Sir Kage bent his head down and snapped it back quickly, throwing the weight of his helmet into the man’s face. Sir Kage broke free of the grasp and shoved the Kikapa away from him as far as he could. The Kikapa tumbled onto Billard, who was trying to find some way of removing the spear from his arm. The spear snapped at the point and Billard screamed in pain.

Everett was gleefully cutting into the backs of the men who had piled on top of Stalfor. One turned to counter, but Everett deflected the spear with one sword while bringing the other into the Kikapa’s heart, saying “Can’t you do better than that?”. Two others tried to sneak up to the elf from behind, but his long ears detected the presence despite the rest of the noise of the battle. He instead surprised them by summoning a ball of energy into his hand, turning around and throwing it.

The ball split into three bursts, one hitting one man and the other two hitting the other. The energy pulses caused no visible damage but caused massive internal injury, killing them. “Pathetic.”, Everett gave as his parting words for their journey into eternal sleep.

Just then, a deep roar bellowed from beneath the group of men behind Everett and 6 men were simply pushed aside, away from the dwarf. Stalfor, with spear in hand and shouting “THARKIL! THARKIL!”, ran to the nearest Kikapa who was getting to his feet. Stalfor stabbed him in the face, savoring the “splat”. Running past him, he came upon of the two more targets. The Kikapa stabbed downwards at Stalfor, who dodged it, kept going forward, kicked the man’s left leg out from under him, and brought the blunt of the spear against the Kikapa’s back, throwing him to the ground.

Stalfor flipped the spear around in one hand and stabbed it into the man’s back. He loved his art.

“Come on!!!”, shouted Kage, who was now making a hasty retreat. The small force that had come to the island had slaughtered almost the entire war party and the others were scattered and reluctant to go after them.

Everett thought of running back to the village and finding Marina. He knew Stalfor would go with him, but he would be better off getting everyone else to help. He joined Kage and began to run in the direction the others escaped.

Viper couldn’t believe he was able to trade his lantern and tinderbox for a man’s daughter. He had instantly gotten bored for the past few days staying in the Kikapa village. Once the party had hit the island, they quickly befriended the nearby village. They planned to stay a week to hire supply carriers and plan an exact route to Temple of Vrek. Viper traded food for a room in one of the straw huts to stay and was given a proposition from the landowner. It took him a while to understand the man since they didn’t speak Common tongue but he soon began to understand the negotiation.

He was spending the third day with his new “wife” when the straw door was smashed open and a bunch of the Kikapas muscled him outside. He then saw some men with spears coming and he knew something was wrong. He acted quickly. A smash to the face sent the closest man from him to the ground. He ripped away from the rest of the men and ran back into the room and grabbed his humungous two-handed sword. Llana, his purchased, began screaming in her Kikapa tongue. “Calm down.”, barked Viper. A Kikapa ran and Viper used the great amount of strength needed to bring the massive object over his head and brought it crashing down on the Kikapa with great velocity. The resulting magnitude brought the blade from the Kikapa’s shoulders to the middle of his hip. Llana began screaming at the top of her lungs. Viper ran out of the hut and into a group of Kikapas, with spears, talking to each other. Two were immediately in front of him.

His sword reacted before his mind did and they were both dead before they could retaliate. He was then running full speed towards where the ship they had come to shore, where the rest of the party should be.

Not ten seconds later, he heard Marina Prayer’s voice shouting. He ran in that direction and found Marina wrestling with three Kikapas. Viper ran up, stabbing the first one in the back. The other two, knowing they were outmatched let go and ran. Viper was immediately angered when he saw her war mace still hanging on her belt, her shield still strapped to her back. Marina was a battle cleric, a pilgrim in plate mail. Though she was outfitted for destruction, her spell lore and attitude were that of knowledge and healing.

“Come on.”, ordered Viper.

“What’s going on!?!”, cried Marina.

“I don’t know. We’ve got to get to the ship.”, said Viper quickly.

They found the ship deserted. The slave rowers that had brought the boat to the shores had been released by Kage’s command on an agreement he had made with Marina.

“There’s no way they’re still in the village. They must have started towards the temple.”, said Viper, “But which way?” “I wasn’t working with them on that, but from what last I heard, they were planning to start off going in a northwesterly direct-“, said Marina.

“Are you sure?”, asked Viper, who was now putting on some spare plate mail he found. He had left his other one in the room he rented.

“I’m sure of what I heard. I don’t know if that’s the way they’re going now.”, she replied. Marina was truly disturbed. She thought the tribe was peaceful. She had been working hard to feed the poor and was succeeding in spreading the word of St. Judecris, matron saint of the goddess Lemeika, amongst many of villagers. Nothing was wrong. And then suddenly she was being attacked. She prayed for Everett to be all right. “Let’s go before they find us here.”, she said.

“What do you mean we shouldn’t go back right now!?!”, questioned Everett, as the party headed straight north.

“Billard and Stalfor are wounded. The rest of us barely escaped!”, stated Sir Kage.

The rest of the party was a half-mile away from village and still distancing themselves.

“Barely escaped?”, laughed Everett, “You saw how weak they are. We can easily break our way into the village.”, said Everett.

“Hey, the rest of us are here for the treasure. We aren’t your soldiers.”, retorted Greegan.

“I wasn’t talking to you, thief.”, retorted Everett.

“If they escaped, they escaped, and they may come to us. If they got captured, then they’ll probably still be there in a few days. Right now we need time to assess our wounds and rest. Then we’ll decide on what to do.”, ordered Kage “We should go back.”, said Kirby.

Kage ignored him, “Denier, how’s Billard?” “It’s hard to tell. It would help if Marina were here.”, replied Denier, examining Billard’s shoulder wound.

Everett threw his sword blade first into the ground as hard as he could.

“Everett, this is the-” “Look!”, interrupted Greegan. The others looked up to see several puffs of smoke rising in the air every second.

“A head hunt.”, said Denier.

“A what?!?”, asked Greegan.

“A practice where all the neighboring tribes get together to go on a hunt for humans. If they catch you, they torture you before beheading you, keeping your skull as an award. I thought this village didn’t practice it since I didn’t see any skulls on spears.”, defined Denier.

“Are you serious?”, Greegan snapped.

“We’ve got to get out of here.”, continued Denier, “The map says there are five villages, which means the war party will be… large . Plus they’re great trackers.” “All the more notches for me axe!”, bellowed an excited Stalfor.

Kirby tried to hold himself to stop from shivering. He couldn’t let them know he was scared.

“What do you know?!? You also said they wouldn’t attack us!”, accused Everett.

“Kirby? Are you okay?”, asked Billard.

“I told ye we shouldn’t be bringin’ no damn kid with us!”, Stalfor grumbled.

“Everett, if you want to go back, I understand. But we have to get moving out of here.”, stated Sir Kage, “I suggest you stay with us. You won’t save Marina by running back there and getting killed and she probably made it out with Viper anyway.” Everett then remembered something. He took off his backpack, opened it, and pulled out a crystal ball.

“Will that tell us if Marina is okay?”, asked Kage, interested.

Everett didn’t answer and began scrying. After a few minutes, he looked up and said, “They’re in the ship.” “Good. Then they’re safe.”, replied Kage, “Are you coming?” Everett nodded.

Sir Kage began arranging travel formation. They would be traveling long and hard that day to try and distance themselves from the headhunters. As the march began, Kage’s thoughts went back to how the whole campaign began…..

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The Wizard’s Codex

Celestial & Arcane, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Originally published by February 2001, the Wizard’s Codex contains a collection of custom spells created by authors at Heroes Only. All of these spells have been used and tested within the gaming environment, but of course you should consider their effects on your own campaign before adopting them.

This list of spells is updated from time to time, with the “last modified” timestamp appearing at the end of the article.

First Level Spells

Chill 1

Author: Angelo Bertolli
Range: 10′
Duration: 2 rounds
Effect: This spell does 1d4 points of damage to one creature within range. Furthermore, the creature must save vs paralysis or suffer -1 to melee hit and damage rolls for 1d6 rounds. A large heat source nearby gives a +2 to save. The caster may use this spell on one target up to 2 rounds after casting.
Author Notes: Another classic spell concept (also known as Chilling Touch). This one is modeled more after the spell Ice Knife from an adventure in Dungeon Magazine #47.

Keepsake

Author: Jeff Querner
Range: touch
Duration: permanent
Effect: When keepsake is cast on your magic book, it disallows use of your book by anyone not mentioned in the spell casting. The spell can even allow you to distinguish which spells which people may or may not look at. If someone attempts to read your spell without your authority (decided when you cast the spell), a note appears saying “naughty, naughty.” However, keepsake does not stop anyone from destroying the spell book.

Mana Shield

Author: Jeff Querner
Range: 0
Duration: 6 turns
Effect: Protects the caster, effectively giving him 2d4 extra mana hp for the duration of the spell. Damage is taken from the mana shield first. Despite the nature of the spell, multiple spells are not cumulative.

Power

Author: Angelo Bertolli
Range: ?
Duration: ?
Effect: This spell is totally unpredictable, doing something weird and different every time, or may do nothing at all. The DM really should determine the effect as randomly as possible (though effects should be weird and unexpected, not necessarily powerful).
Author Notes: This spell is a tribute to the spell of the same name from the classic game Eamon. It’s the all-purpose magical tool that DMs can provide to do “special things” in adventures. For example, I had one adventure where a magical doorway would only open a portal (dimension door) when this spell was cast upon it.

Stoneskin 1

Author: Angelo Bertolli
Range: 0
Duration: 1 turn
Effect: Protects the caster against attacks by turning the his/her skin hard and stone-like. The caster gains a -2 bonus to AC vs melee and hand-thrown attacks, and a -4 bonus to fired missles. (No bonus vs. giant missiles like thrown boulders.)
Author Notes: Just your classic stoneskin spell, as found in many RPG settings. In particular, the SMAUG MUD comes to mind.

Second Level Spells

Acid Splash

Author: Angelo Bertolli
Range: 90′
Duration: instant
Effect: This spell fires one or more missiles of acid. The total damage the spell inflicts is 3d6 points of damage. The caster must decide before casting the spell how many missiles to fire, and the total damage will be distributed among them evenly (rounded down, even to zero). Each creature that takes damage may make a save vs spells for half damage. Creatures made of stone are not affected by this spell.
Author Notes: The idea of this spell came from the spell of the same name in Wizardry 7 [2].

 

Electrapulse

Author: Angelo Bertolli
Range: 60′
Duration: instant
Effect: This spell fires a charge up to 60′ away that bursts into a pulse of electrical energy with a 10′ diameter. The electrapulse does 4d4 points of damage with a save vs spells for half damage. Creatures resistant to lightning automatically take half damage and may make a save to take no damage.
Author Notes: I went through a phase where it bothered me that there weren’t any attack spells on level 2 and that low level wizards hardly ever had anything to do in battles. I also thought spells with fixed damages were more appropriate to the game than ones that grew with the caster’s level.

Flame Bolt

Author: Angelo Bertolli
Range: 30′
Duration: instant
Effect: This spell shoots a bolt of fire at one creature up to 30′. The flame bolt does 2d10 points of damage with a save vs spells for half damage. Creatures resistant to fire automatically take half damage, and may save to talk no damage.

Prismatic Orb

Author: Angelo Bertolli
Range: 90′
Duration: 1 round
Effect: Creates an orb of randomly changing colors which can be fired at one creature within range. The color the orb happens to be when it strikes the color (determined by the table below) determines the effects of the orb. The DM may add colors and effects to this table.
[easytable]
1d8,Color,Effect
1,Red,”2d8 fire dmg, save for half”
2,Orange,save or be charmed for 1d4 rounds
3,Yellow,save or be confused for 2d4 rounds
4,Green,save or be slowed for 1d4 rounds
5,Blue,”2d8 lit dmg, save for half”
6,Violet,”save or pain for 2d4 rounds (-1 AC, saves, hit/dmg)”
7,White,”2d8 cold dmg, save for half”
8,Black,save or blind 1d4 rounds
[/easytable]

Third Level Spells

Riding Disc

Author: Jeff Querner
Range:
Duration:
Effect: A larger version of Floating Disc that can support 2 (heavily laid down) or 3 people. The disc moves 15 feet a round.

Fourth Level Spells

Absorb

Author: Jeff Querner
Range: 0
Duration: 1 hour
Effect: Absorbs 1 point per die from all damage taken.

Magic Mirror 1

Author: Jeff Querner
Range: 10′
Duration: 1 turn per level
Effect: Turns a reflective surface within range into a magic mirror through which the caster can view other creatures or areas. The caster must name the area or creature. The caster and any other creatures viewing the mirror will be able to see the images, but only the caster will hear sound from the viewing. Detection and vision spells can be cast into it, allowing the caster to detect magic, see invisible, etc in the area he is viewing.

 

Meteor

Author: Angelo Bertolli
Range: 120′
Duration: instant
Effect: This fires a meteor at a target, doing 1d6 points of damage per level of caster of impact damage (with a save for half). It then explodes into a fireball of diameter 15′, doing another 1d6 points of fire damage per level of caster to all creatures within that area (with a save for half).

Fifth Level Spells

Dream 1

Author: Jeff Querner
Range: special
Duration: special
Effect:This allows the caster to visit and communicate with another creature through the victim’s dream. The caster must have met the creature, and must name the creature, but the spell is otherwise unlimited by distance. This spell does not cause the victim to fall asleep: if the victim is not sleeping the spell fails. If the victim knows the dream is spell induced and does not wish to have the dream, he can make a save vs spells to wake up. Within the dream the caster may visit the victim, communicate with the victim, or even attempt to attack the victim in the dream. However nothing in the dream has any real effect, and the victim wakes up if killed in the dream.

Sixth Level Spells

Infinite Image

Author: Jeff Querner
Range: 0
Duration: 2 hours
Effect: An advanced version of mirror image that creates 3d4 images instead of 1d4.

Steal Items

Author: Jeff Querner
Range: 240′
Duration: instant
Effect: Takes 1d4 random items from the person it’s cast on. The spell might affect items the victim is equipped with or carrying. The spell places the items in the wizard’s backpack or bag.

Ninth Level Spells

Nexus

Author: Angelo Bertolli
Range: 30′
Duration: permanent
Effect: When this spell is cast upon a creature, it “shuffles” its abilities scores. The victim may save vs spells to avoid the effects. This dreaded attack is non-reversible, and can cause special problems for characters with minimum attribute requirements (DM’s discretion). One method of randomly determining the shuffle is to roll 1d6 for each attribute and swap that attribute with the number of the attribute indicated by the roll. It is possible to end up with the same attributes. This spell is almost useless against monsters because most monsters are considered to have the “average” score for all their abilities (DM’s discretion).
Author Notes: Another unoriginal attempt at spell writing on my part–inspired by certain monster attacks in the free game Angband.

Tenth Level Spells

Spells of this circle are generally unattainable by mortals without sufficient aid from greater powers.

Notes:

  1. This spell was featured in the Basic Fantasy Olde Dungeoneer’s Almanack 2008. You can find a more complete compendium of spells in the Libram Magica.

Character Class Variations

Character Classes, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This is based on the idea that players and the DM will build characters for a story line, not just to suit their gaming needs. In other words, characters should have some panache or style of their own. This means the items below are not rules but rather suggestions on how one might play his own character. The player should be able to freely choose to do this, these are not rule changes. The DM may want to offer “rewards” (some are described below, if you look closely). These rewards are not experience rewards, etc. but instead take the form of some sort of reward in the story, or “good luck.” For example, one reward for being an elf and not using your power to the fullest potential (as a ranger) is that you always seem to find food in the wilderness, you are able to befriend animals more easily (not attacked by bears), and you have a faithful pet (such as a dire wolf). And such rewards can increase as you go up level, because it’s one thing to start out as a “ranger” and then not keep up with it, but someone who has been a ranger for 9 levels should at least have a dire wolf to help him. Again, this is not a rule change.

Palidin/Avenger: war-like cleric who goes on missions and uses weapons/armor to full potential. Note: paladins and avengers can go both for very war-like clerics, or very holy fighters. (war hammer, plate, shield)

Clerics: most don’t care to wear armor since they don’t really use it. (mace, holy symbol, holy water, sling; bandaging)

Druid: cleric who is very neutral and uses natural weapon and armor, and can use druid spells. (usually has pet; herbs, plant, and animal knowledge, poisons, animal frienship)

Ranger: rural elf, often vigilante who takes care of the forest. (leather armor, thief weapons, moderate spells, may have a pet; hunting, navigation)

Bard: one who is adept at playing music, esp. thief

Barbarian: fighter with good STR, CON, and HP, who doesn’t wear armor much (or a lot of clothes for that matter). (big weapons, sometimes shield/chain mail)

Knight: special dubbed fighter loyal to a king, expected to maintain code of his knighthood, and given special priviledges (and honor) in the kingdom.

Monk: fighter with good DEX, wears traditional equipment to his particular monastery, and keeps attuned to honor. Multiple attacks can be multiple moves. (traditional weapons, robes)

Elves: most common elves don’t use spell books. Those of the fighting persuasion utilize armor and weapons to potiential and may know a few misc spells. Those of the magic persuasion travel light and utilize spells and spell books. (plate mail, shield, any weapon, poor spells) vs (little or no armor, 1 or 2 weapons–no large, good spells)

Magic Item Tables

Equipment, , , , , , , , , ,

Swords

[easytable]
1d100,Sword
01-13,”sword+1, +3 vs dragons”
14-26,”sword+1, +3 vs lycantheropes”
27-39,”sword+1, +3 vs undead”
40-49,”sword+1, +3 vs spellcasters”
50-59,”sword+1, +3 vs regeneration”
60-65,”sword+1, cure lt wounds 1/day”
66-71,”sword+1, light 1/day”
72-77,”sword+1, darkness 1/day”
78-82,”sword+1, locate object 1/day”
83-86,”sword+2, flames on command”
87-90,”sword+2, charm person on hit”
95-97,”sword+1, haste user 1/day”
98-99,”sword+1, drain life energy (1d4+4)”
100,”sword+1, wishes (1d4)”
[/easytable]
For type, roll 1d20:
1-3 two-handed
4-6 short
7-10 bastard
11-20 normal

Weapons

[easytable]
1d100,Weapon
01-07,”dagger+1, +3 vs kobolds, goblins, orcs”
08-20,”dagger+1, +3 vs elementals”
15-21,”dagger+1, +3 vs enchanted”
22-27,”mace+1, +4 vs undead”
28-33,”war hammer+1, +4 vs dragons”
34-39,”war hammer+1, +4 vs regeneration”
40-45,”battle axe+1, +4 vs dragons”
46-51,”battle axe+1, +4 vs giants”
52-57,”battle axe+1, +4 vs kobolds, goblins, orcs”
58-63,”polearm+1, +4 vs dragons”
64-69,”polearm+1, +4 vs giants”
70-73,”staff+1, read magic (unlimited)”
74-77,”staff+1, detect magic (unlimited)”
78-81,”mace+1, locate object 1/day”
82-85,”mace+1, cure lt wounds 1/day”
86-88,”whip+1, hold person on hit”
89-91,”spear+2, light 1/day”
92-94,”hand axe+2, double range”
95-97,”war hammer+2, striking 1/day”
98-99,”dagger+1, invisibility 1/day”
100,”war hammer+3, boomerang”
[/easytable]

Missile Weapons

[easytable]
1d100,Missile/Weapon
01-14,”20 arrows+1, +4 vs dragons”
15-22,”20 arrows+1, +4 vs lycantheropes”
23-32,”20 arrows+1, +4 vs regeneration”
33-42,”20 arrows+1, +4 vs spellcasters”
43-52,”20 arrows+1, +4 vs undead”
53-60,”10 arrows+2, charm person on hit”
61-67,”10 stones+2, hold person on hit”
68-74,”10 arrows+2, flame (2d6 dmg)”
75-80,”10 arrows+2, lightning (2d6 dmg)”
81-87,”10 quarrels+3, leech (-1 hp/rnd)”
88-91,”sling+1, +3 vs giants”
92-94,”sling+1, +3 vs spellcasters”
95-96,”crossbow+1, darkness on impact”
97-98,”short bow+1, light on impact”
99-100,”long bow+1, dispel magic on impact”
[/easytable]

Armor

[easytable]
1d100,Armor
01-11,”shield+1, +3 vs breath”
12-22,”shield+1, +3 vs spells”
23-32,”shield+1, +3 vs paralysis/stone”
33-42,”leather armor+1, +4 vs poison/death”
43-52,”leather armor+1, +4 vs paralysis/stone”
53-60,”plate mail+1, +3 vs breath”
61-68,”plate mail+1, +3 vs spells”
69-75,”plate mail+1, +3 vs paralysis/stone”
76-81,”chain mail+1, +4 vs poison/death”
80-83,”chain mail+1, +4 vs spells”
84-87,”chain mail+1, +4 vs paralysis/stone”
88-91,”shield+2, +5 vs breath”
92-93,shield+3
95-97,”chain mail+2, absorb 2 dmg/attack”
98-99,”plate mail+2, absorb 2 dmg/attack”
100,”leather armor+3, absorb 3 dmg/attack”
[/easytable]

Notes:

  • 1 in 20 chance of being cursed
  • Hold Person on hit: operates just like the spell, but there is no -2 penalty to save
  • Flame and lightning arrows turn into a bolt of flame or lightning when fired,doing 2d6 dmg.
  • Leech arrows do 1 hp/round after the initial strike until the arrow is removed or healing is applied.
  • Light/darkness on impact: if a creature is hit, he is the victim of the spell, and must save or be blinded.

Optional Rules for Classic Games

Rules Hints & Tips, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Written by Angelo and Jeff

Here are some optional rules that you may want to adopt in a more basic type campaign (which I find more fun). When deciding on a rule, go for whatever is more fun or will make a better story-line in the game.

Attributes

Even though it may not be fair to my old players, I think I might adopt this system also. Just roll 9d6 for each phsyical (STR, DEX, CON) and mental (INT, WIS, CHA) attributes and then let the players choose where they want to put them. Allow players to trade 2 for 1 between the 2 categories. If you want, you might consider just rolling 10d6 for each category to give a better chance of getting good scores. Also, don’t roll ability checks much, if at all. Too much rolling dice makes the game too random and not enough story. If you can’t base it on a saving throw, you probably shouldn’t roll it. How creatures react to players should be based on how the players have acted, not on a charisma check.

Alignments

Alignments don’t seem very important. Either just ignore them, or rule them out completely. Also, I would rule out alignment languages since they don’t make any sense. You can give a group of thieves a secret code but chances are the thieves in a city 1000 miles away won’t know it.

Classes

I don’t think every little sub-class should have it’s own class and an entire set of rules. I would say just add a little flavor to your campaign by giving guidelines for certain titles. Like a thief can be a ninja-type character, hiding in shadows, using assassin weapons, climbing walls, backstabbing, etc. So that could be his title if he dresses right. So you can make variations on any class. You can even offer/show these variations to players to see if they want to use it. However, I found that most players don’t want to go with something like that unless the rules change for their character and they’re getting extra bonuses. Class variations are a good way to add personality to your NPCs.

Equipment

Unlike just about any other game, D&D makes it easy to buy the best (normal) armor and weapons at the very beginning and makes no reason to buy the cheaper, crappy items (like a club). One way to get around this is to make your own treasure chart, plus don’t have every city and town sell everything on the equipment lists. Small towns and villages (perhaps where the characters come from) may have few items. Also, you might want to give players less gold to start with, maybe only 1d6 x 10 gp.

Food

I treat food very losely in my game and don’t count time spent very carefully. How much food you consume ends up being a DM discretion. However other people just throw the whole requirement out of the game.

Saving Throws

One thing that I like is making saving throw modifiers based on other abilities. This makes it a little more important to have good abilities, and makes certain classes generally more resistant to certain attacks.

  • STR – paralysis/stone
  • INT – mind attacks (charm, confusion, fear, sleep, etc.)
  • WIS – spells
  • DEX – wands and breath
  • CON – poison/death
  • CHA – none

Also, one optional rule is to make players request saving throws (say they are going to do something besides just stand there and take what’s coming). Ex: a dragon breathes on a fighter and a wizard. The wizard’s player says, “Jump out of the way.” The fighter’s player says, “Hold my shield up over my body.” The fighter makes his saving throw and lines his shield up. The wizard misses and jumps half-way out of the cone of fire and is blown back a few steps. This makes it a little more realistic… if you want a saving throw, you need to try and move out of the way or resist it somehow. Players get too used to automatically getting saving throws.

Monsters

Monsters can be really boring if all they do is attack and have nothing unique about them. One way I solved this problem was by creating monster variations. This is REALLY good if you have a basic game and not a lot of monsters to choose from in the book. One of the things I saw was how they had 10 types of giants when all they had to do was have 1 kind of giant and just make variations off of that. It makes the game a lot simpler. All you need to do is change the description a little bit.

A goblin attacks, an orc attacks, a gnoll attacks, only a few hit points seperates the monsters and all they are is a threat to the character’s life. An interesting way of changing that is to give each monster class a personality, such as making bugbears act like Klingons, having honor above life but still acting evil. Kobolds can usually have a lot of jewelry but never, ever fight, always running and finding a way to escape. Lizard men can be the rudest creatures in the campaign, flicking the characters off or waving their private parts in their general direction or something.

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