RATLINGS NOT HALFLINGS: Or Why Beast Folk Are Better Than Demihumans

I bought some tengu from Reaper the other day just because I've always enjoyed corvid-folk and thought they would be a good miniature to have on hand. I even had a half idea about a "cleric" for these crow folks. For quick use in BX D&D, I might just stat as a halfing.

But the minatures really got me thinking about how much I like beast-folk over demi-humans in terms of class alternatives to humans for fantasy adventure campaigns. In fact, I think beast-folk have three specific advantages over humans because animals are: familiar & symbolic, mortal, and have extraordinary (but not supernatural) abilities.

Familiar & Symbolic

In terms of roleplay, its going to be easier understanding animals or animal-folks, than to imagine and role-play an immortal elf.  Animals occupy our homes, surround us, and have been with most of us throughout many aspects of our lives. 

Humans also have centuries of animal worship, either as god figures themselves, or as something adjacent to. They are central to our fables, parables, and tall tales. They are used to embody the qualities of our sports teams, from the strong to the ferocious to the quick. And they continue to be stand-ins for human personalities and class positions in pop culture, especially in animation or puppetry.

This all means that most humans can see an animal and describe its symbolic qualities, goals, and weaknesses far quicker than most any other non-human representation. For instance, if you show someone the picture of a lion, they most likely will list symbolic qualities: brave and strong, but also prideful and arrogant, with a desire to be king. Or at least give you very well-known characteristics of the literal animal itself.

Mortality & Other

Easy to sleep all day when your lifespan is 500+ years

The biggest issues for me with two common demi-human races, elves and dwarves, is that each is near-immortal or at least have increadbly long life spans. This singular facet would radically change one's stance on almost every problem. Immortality lends itself to patience, thoughtfulness, and overplanning. Years can be spent in pondering and consensus-making. For human players, time-as-a-factor is baked into all of our lives. D&D itself, these days, is a 2-4 hour, once-weekly game because time is a factor. So, I don't think human players can truly can model this behavior arising from immortality, consistantly, in a game. Animals on the other hand, are mortal and actually often more short-lived. But on the relevant timeline to fictional elves/dwarves, humans and animals are practically the same. 

Short lives promote: action, risk-taking, decisiveness, and impulsiveness. All of which makes for a good session of dungeon crawling and D&D in general.

Extraordinary, But Not Supernatural, Abilities (Maybe)

Most animals have senses and abilities that far exceed those of a human. And because many of them evolved for survival, they often are oriented around solving an environmental problem- avoiding detection, and/or tracking prey- so very gamable! For instance, a dog's sense of smell is 10,000 to 100,000 times greater than a human's. A cat cannot see in total darkness, but requires only 1/6th the light of a human to see their surroundings and can survive falls up to 30 stories, versus a human's 4 stories.

Now, sure, it's not like players really understand what it's like to see through a hawk's eyes. But these abilities are not supernatural at a base level and so can easily be understood in fictional situations e.g. a dog can smell through a door, but may not smell the ghosts on the other side as they are incorporeal.

However, looping back to the familiar symbolism, some animal qualities could be cast on a "mythic" level, such as a salamander's fire resistance or foxes' natural ability to lie. Yet, again, these are abilities are still well understood by human players.

But I Like Beast-headed Humans Even More

Fortunately, there are some great beast folk already out there. Miranda of In Places Deep has some wonderful froglings. Carcass Crawler #5 has ratlings, which are cool and have a prehensile tail! And even Dolmenwood has a sorta cat and bat class in the grimalkin and woodgrue. Although the last two are technically fay and might bring on the problems above.

I have personally always enjoyed the idea of beast-headed humans. In particular, when the transformation is a curse bestowed on a human by the fay for some justified or trivial transgression. To me, this bestows the PC with a goal- to undo the curse. But it is also a very visible mark that the fictional world can react to. Which is often neglected in D&D, how your PC appears should affect how NPCs react to them. Much like it would in the real world.

And again, its even easier to role-play than a human-sized animal. What if you were you, but cursed to wear the head of an animal? You gain some abilities due to this new transformation, but also a set of assumptions and are an outcast.

Beast-headed Humans Or The Fay-Cursed

Too boorish, too clever, too desperate, and/or too ignorant to understand what you were agreeing to, who you were talking back to, or who you were stealing from, so you now wear a heraldic animal head as a mark and punishment.

Weapons & Armor: As Dwarf HD: At level 1, roll 2d8 and take the highest die; 1d8 per level there after Saves: As Dwarf Experience: As Dwarf Special Abilities:

Animal Senses: All beast-heads have a 2-in-6 to listen and smell, and a candle can provide as much light to see as a torch, but they cannot see in total darkness.

Curse: During character creation, roll 1d12 to determine what fate has befallen your PC.

1. Lion- Once a month, you may command a number of normal man-types (half your CHA) that will perform, with great bravery, one task. Afterward, they become lazy, indolent, and rest on their laurels, telling grand tales about what they did.
2. Stag- You can sleep in the woods as comfortably as you can in an inn. If you do so, the animals of the forest will tell you rumors of what is happening in all directions. Hunters believe your heart will grant them a wish.
3. Wolf- If you are clad in the skin of a sheep or the clothing of a grandmother, people will believe you are that until you attack. Children and dogs will have their deep suspicions. Abandoned by humans, you are embraced by the pack, you may call for a number of wolves equal to your hireling count by CHA
4. Fox- You can lie with ease. But no one will believe you when telling the truth. Any lie told in the service of the truth will backfire (e.g. Telling people there is gold in the well to rescue a trapped baby will delay rescue of the baby as people ask more about the gold).
5. Eagle- You are vigilant and a fierce guardian, if you fill 3 slots of encumbrance with the object/person you are in charge of protecting, you gain the ability to interpose between them and a threat as well as gain +2 AC when defending; if in a room for a week, you are only surprised on a 1 there. Horses hate you and your presence.
6. Pard- All royalty will be willing to believe you are a lost heir (3d6 under CHA). Their current children will think the opposite, and it's difficult to erase this suspicion.
7. Rat- Any item a normal rat can carry can be brought to you in roughly 3 moons, provided it is something left unattended and you are in a location with rats. Mice are too provincial and Giant rats too unruly to command. Most people will assume your presence naturally fouls the air.
8. Bull- Duplicate your highest ability score in STR or if it is highest, add 1. No normal dungeon door can impede you and you are good at mazes. However, you are easily goaded into a fight (Save vs spells to avoid), and you will break anything delicate.
9. Boar- You require twice as much food, rest, poison, or potion. Even a basilisk must look at you twice. And by that same token, demand twice as much reward, gratitude, or grace. However, you are twice as generous than most. And require twice as many buttons to keep your shirt on.
10. Raven- You wear the head of a bird that exists both here and beyond; as such, you can sense the undead as others can hear noise (2-in-6). And a good mimic, you can cast first-level non-divine spells you see and hear.
11. Goat or Donkey- Contrarian as a profession. You can never be commanded and infact, if commanded, you will refuse to do it. Even a harpy’s song, a siren’s call, or a wizard's charm will not get you to move.
12. Tygr- If you declare "I strike!", then you may move up to 20' and make a free melee attack at advantage, criting on a 19-20. If you discuss the use of this ability in the open, you must attack at disadvantage. You must then remain engaged with the target until you or it dies. People fine your gaze unnerving as if you are always on edge.

Stronghold: At 8th level, if you occupy a ruined keep deep in the woods, you will attract the following:

• Stronghold Lieutenants (roll 1d6): 1-2. Giant Talking Animal of Head-Type 3-4. Chaotic Figher (level 4 + 1d4) 5-6. 2d4 Fay Rakes (Hardly lift a hand, but throw good parties)
• Stronghold Guard: 3d6 x10 1HD brigands (75% human and 25% hound-headed)
• If there are 3+ levels, Stronghold Residents (roll 1d6, assume number as lair of monster type): 1. Werewolves 2. Hill Giant 3. Purple Wyrm 4. Minotaurs 5. Questing Beast 6. Wicked Trents

SKELETON: A BX Class With A Bone To Pick

Ha ha! Burn!

Preamble: For reasons, I realized I might need to allow players to be Skeleton PCs. I've seen undead classes before that march from skeleton (1HD) to vampire (8-9HD), but I thought it might be good just to have the PC remain skeleton-oriented, hence ending this in the level title of death knight. But this class could be good for botched resurrections, cursed items, or angry gods. And no, everyone can't dual-class as a skeleton just because they have one.

The Skeleton

Requirement: CON and CHA of 8 or less or PC has risen from the grave
Prime Requisite: STR
Hit Dice: d6
Maximum Level: 8
Weapons & Armor: All
Alignment: Chaotic
Languages: As those in life
To-hit & Save: as BX Fighter

• 1st: +0 & 12/13/14/15/16
  
• 4th: +2 & 10/11/12/13/14
  
• 8th: +5 & 8/9/10/11/12

Level:

1. Skeleton 1d6 +1 0xp

2. Fossil Footman 2d6 2,200xp

3. Grave Guard 3d6 4,400xp

4. Skeleton Warrior 4d6 +2 8,800xp

5. Crypt Keeper 5d6 17,000xp

6. Ossuary Outrider 6d6 35,000xp

7. Cadaver Calviler 7d6 70,000xp

8. Death Knight 8d6 +4 140,000xp

Starting Equipment:

• Burial Shroud (AC 10), Death Mask, Dried Roses, Hourglass, Shield (AC +1), 1d6 dmg Weapon

Special Abilities:

• Undead: Infravision, Move silently until the first attack, Treat as “asterisk undead” for spells and effects (i.e. turn undead, poison, sleep ect)
• Fear of the Grave: At 4th level, -1 to enemy morale; At 8th level, cast fear 3x/day
• Memento mori: Cannot be resurrected nor healed by magic; all reaction rolls are 1d6; cannot hire mortal hirelings, henchmen, mercenaries, or retainers

Stronghold:

At anytime a skeleton wishes (and they have a magic weapon), they may take over the dungeon they were killed in or rose from, claiming it as a stronghold after defeating all inhabitants. A stronghold attracts:

• Stronghold Lieutenants (roll 1d6): 1-3. Chaotic fighter (level 4+1d4) 4-6. 1d6 Chaotic clerics (level 2 +1d4 each)
• Stronghold Guard: 3d6 x10 1HD soldiers (75% skeletons and 25% will be chaotic clerics)
• If there are 3+ levels, Stronghold Residents (roll 1d6, assume number as lair of monster type): 1. Werewolves 2. Ghoul Salon (2d8+5) 3. Nightmares 4. Mummies 5. Spectres 6. Vampires

Being so enamored with the very cool class titles I got as part of Secret Santicorn 2025, I thought I would try a few here.

Meat On Them Bones: Optional Titles for Skeleton Class

Minor Relequary Saint

• Demonstrate a notable act of piety to the Church
• Recover an important religious relic
• Observe all taboos of a religion to shift alignment to lawful

Gelatin Skeleton

• Coat yourself in a potion of invulnerability
• Be engulfed by a gelatinous cube
• Make an EGO check to overpower the cube (gaining a geletin coating)

The Yellow King

• Obtain a 500gp crown (or equivalent in grave goods), mask, & costume
• Be colonized by yellow mould
• Kill everyone at a costume ball or party

OD&D: Opium, Dunsany & Dreamlands Part IV, The Dreamer

This post straddles my prior dreamlands posts and the BX system I use frequently, hence the header. Click here if you'd like to see more of my dreamlands reskins.

THE DREAM MASTER

A while back I was running a home game for my family where I had two clerics PCs recovering relics and bodies in Dyson "mini-megadungeon". The reward for recovering these holy items was attracting more pilgrims to the Abbey who could serve all sorts of functions. One entry is for St. Nemo, who I had dubbed the "St. of Sleep" from the character of Little Nemo in Slumberland (the comic and 90's NES videogame). 

I believe it was Marcia of Traverse Fantasy who postulated that a good way to "humanize" the BX elf was to make them human dreamers who learned both sword and sorcery skills through the time-elastic properties of dreamlands. And while were are on the topic of reskinning the elf, I, of course, love Miranda's take on the MU-Fighter with Nightwick's Changing class.

But here is how I described my inital concept of the dreamer class in the post from session 6 of the "Super Cleric Bros." campaign in 2021: 

I might try to make Dreamers some sort of "thief" class. Improved move silently/hide in shadows. Maybe each adventure they can roll on a rumor-like table about their dreams which could be true or distorted (false). Or maybe they see an area like some sorta "treasure" map. Throw some sorta detect secret door as elf owing to a differential perception. Ooo maybe a dream journal, a spell book-like manual, that had random things the sleeper has recorded--- maybe occasionally Sleep, Darkness, and other illusion spells.

Re-reading, I remember my intent was to make a hireling or class that was focused on exploration and tools to get them out of scrapes. The dream journal was a way to feed hooks to the party via some underutilized methods like treasure maps that I think are little used. 

THE DREAMER

Some children are born during special confluences of the night skies. 

    Or with their souls not quite attached due to distracted Fates. 

        Or of parents that have a supernatural mark clinging to them like a burr.

            Or are an echo of a greater, god-fated child born in the same season.

The gods look at you like an iridescent, jeweled insect with your almost-importance. Your village looked at you like a languid cat who knows to many of their secrets. The court of dreams looks at you for the prism of possibilities you once were, are, and will (maybe) be. And so they whisper secrets to you under the cover of night about the endless fates you can bring-- patient governesses raising midnight royalty.

Restrictions

• HD: As Thief
• Weapons: As MU (dagger, club, staff, crossbow)
• Armor: As a Thief (leather, no shields)
• XP: As Thief (1200 xp to 2nd)

Special Abilities

Somnambulist: Move Silently, Hide in Shadows, & Detect Secret Doors 2-in-6; progress as a thief

Saw This In A Dream: Save as Halfing

Never Lost in the Underworld: Take the best result on any lost-in-dungeon table when required

Sand of Sleep: as Color Spray (3/day; 30' cone)

Dream Journal: In between adventures, the dreamer will produce 1 scroll containing knowledge gained from dreaming that has occurred. Any spells are written in the languages of zoogs, the cats of Ulthar, or servants of the Night Serpent Yg, thus unreadable by other MUs, elves, or clerics; roll 1d12:

1. Darkness
2. Sleep
3. Detect Magic
4. Mirror Image
5. Moonlight Ray (as Chromatic Orb-Pearl; range attack; 1d4 dmg & target glows 2d6 r)
6. Moths of Mog (as Fog)
7. Remove Fear
8. Cause Nightmares (as Fear)
9. Dreams of Wealth (gain a Treasure Map)
10. Dreams of What Could Be (roll on rumor table)
11. Dreams of Who They Want To Be (understand the want/fear/secret of an NPC)
12. Dreams of Your Misfortune (roll 2d20 & save those results to substitute with any d20 roll you make this adventure)

At 4th level, the Dreamer can build a Shrine to Sleep in a place where sunlight will not touch it; the PC now may commune with as many in the court of sleep (see below) as there are idols in the shrine (DM will rule via reaction checks, material quality of idol, and quality of burned offerings given)

• Dreamers may then cast as many spells as a cleric of the same level
• Each spell list will be composed of 6 spells thematically aligned to the idols in the shrine
• Loss of this shrine will result in loss of abilities

Or alternatively, here we could place maybe some more novel mechanisms than just spell casting by:

• Turn Illusions/Phantasms: enemy caster illusions now work for The Dreamer
• Dream Quest✤: those spending downtime can do a special carousing action (or roll on a Lost in Dungeon variant) to go on a dream quest for potential magic items they can bring into the real world as a sorta lucid dreaming

At 8th level, the Dreamer can build a Terraced Garden of Slumber only of plants that grow at night and as the shrine in a place where sunlight will not touch; gaining the title of a courtier of Sleep and inducted into the numinous game✤✤ the true fate of all dreamers

• The Gardens of Slumber will only be discovered under special circumstances as long as the gates of Wake, Nightmare, Sleep, and Dream are have an idol maintained
• The dreamer's garden will attract menagerie made up of dreamland creatures, lost legions, almost-dead sailors, occasional misplaced royal heirs, and one or two forgotten monsters (See OD&D "Stronghold" rules as a model for this list)
• Ghroth cannot be used an a gate idol as Ghroth is passing destruction
• Such gardens attract the attention of dreaming dragons, especially the monks of Graule, fay courts, followers of petty gods, and other dreamer's gardens

Appendix N(ight): The Court of Night/Sleep/Dreams: 

1. Hish- Lord of Silence, Owls, & Bats
2. Nodens- Lord of Depth & Spears
3. St. Nemo- Saint of Sleep, Dreamers, & Sailors
4. Yibb-Tstll- Lord of the Watching Dark & Spreading Black
5. Ghroth- The Nemesis Moon, Lord of Fitful Dreaming & Passing Destruction
6. Hypnos- Lord of Unconsciousness & Staves
7. Hecate- Lord of Terrestrial Night & The Moon-lit Woods
8. Nyx- Lord of the First Night, the Last Night, and the nights in between
9. Yg- The Night Serpent & Saint of Traps
10. Mog- Herald of The Final Sleep, Nightwalkers, & Moths

NOTES

✤ Dream Quest as a carousing option feels like a great post on its own. Especially as a way to make black lotus and other fantasy herbs and spices have a purpose in play. Or for any PC group that's like "Yeah my character rolls that up in a torn page from the wizard's spellbook and smokes it-- what happens?"

✤✤ I love this phrase and believe that I picked it up from Through Ultan's Door THE dreamlands publication by which my posts are a pale imitation.

MASK OF THE "PHANTASMER": Another Example of Good "French Vanilla" D&D

I think I have sorta two "styles" to my D&D. The first is a love of the "phantasmagoric"  like Through Ultan's Door and the second is what I've called "french vanilla". These elements are not mutually exclusive either. A crypt adventure is an easy way to overlap the two.

So what is "french vanilla"? I mean it to be a well-executed take on a familiar experience. Just as "french vanilla" ice cream is often a well-executed take on just regular vanilla. The flavor is enhanced, it might be served is just the right proportion, the texture is often richer, creamier, or heavier, and it might be served with an enhancement (coffee or a wafer) that adds to, but never overpowers the vanilla flavor itself.

In terms of D&D, I believe it can be very helpful, especially for new DMs or DMs of new players, to use well-understood touchstones but apply a twist to them in order to maintain a true fantastical sense, but eliminate the need for game-halting explanation. To wit: players want to play D&D not listen to your fiction. And people's vocabulary of the fantastic has expanded with the advent of video games and the popularity of many fantasy media properties. Using "french vanilla" elements also helps a group get more mileage out of books and material they already have at hand. See my post on turning OD&D Level 1 & Level 2 Random Encounter tables into something more fantastical.

Title: Phantasmer: This re-skinning trick can also be applied to player classes as well. And it is just such an example that kicked off this post. Recently I was involved in a game run by Ben L. of Mizirian's Garden in this game we were given Level 4 pre-gen characters. I picked the magic user and was delighted when I looked down at the sheet:

Title: Phantasmer

Awesome. Sounds like a very illusionist-y magic user. And given Ben's love of the Dreamlands also really works with the setting instead of just "magic-user", "wizard", or the original "theurgist" (although I love that word). Then I jumped to the spell list:

Light/Darkness (1)
Charm Person (1)
Mirror Image (2)
Phantasmal Forces (2)

Again- brilliant! Ben has done some great starting spellbook work before. And I've fully adopted them my go-to for magic users in my games.

But look at how simple spell selection from almost any version of D&D, plus an evocative title drive a nice, novel feel to a well-understood class. And there is no need to laboriously work to create an entirely new class or spell list just to evoke an illusionist feel. ✣ The simple spell selection here encapsulates that with its manipulation of light, use of charm, duplicative images, and the ability to evoke phantasms.

Ben really caps it off with a couple of key items that again support a fresh take but are better flavor descriptions of common magic items:

Prism Amulet of Caz (as +1 ring of protection)
Serpentine Kris (as +1 dagger)

Again nothing crazy. But much cooler to imagine and say.

Well done Ben! I most certainly will be adding this as a potential MU take whenever I get around to assembling my house rules doc: Serpent Song

Last Words: This is not a pro-3d10x10-orcs-in-a-hole/anti-art-punk position. In fact its quite the opposite. It's urging DMs to art-punk their orcs, but just don't work too hard for the maths and instead "stat as". Here are my "orcs":

THE NAMELESS LEGION: Soldiers robbed of their names and now forever walking for conquest as restless shades who know no end; when they march, they carry a disorienting fog with them and when defeated weapons, armor, at body turn to an hour-glass fine black sand; summoned it is said by building two doors of polished onyx with silver hinges (stat as "orc")

✣ When I've looked at the actual illusionist class, I get the sense that someone was actually trying to just make a more powerful magic-user class.

 

PRACTICAL MAGIC: Or what to do now that your 1st level Magic-User has cast their one spell

Erol Otus

(Edit: Please see the "Practical Magic" collection here)

Currently playing in Miranda Van Elkin's Nightwick Abbey It has been great so far to be on the player side of the BX system and see how it feels to be on the receiving end of a BX DM in a megadungeon. 

In BX fashion my 1st level Frogling met a bifurcated end in the first session, but the Magic-User I rolled up, Mayfly, so far as survived 3 sessions. Here he is below:

MAYFLY 1st level MU

Spells: Light, Protection from Evil, Read Magic

STR 07 (-1) INT 15 (+1) WIS 08 (-1) DEX 16 (+2) CON 16 (+2) CHA 08 (-1)

A pretty great spread of stats for a Magic-User. The 15 INT gets me a 5% XP bonus. And the 16 DEX makes throwing daggers +2 to hit as well as the adjusted unarmored AC a 12. The biggest boon might be the 16 CON which effectively makes my Magic-User HD on par with Fighter HD. But the question I am faced with is a perennial one: 

What to do when I've cast my 1 spell (or even 2nd spell if I am higher level)? 
While not insanely novel, I think below are six suggestions that can put you on the right track:

1 | Use Hirelings: Far from being a dump stat, CHA represents a solid force multiplier in D&D. Even if your MU's CHA incurs a -1 bonus, still consider hirelings. Two or three hirelings armed with spears (3 people are allowed in a 10' space), can create a formidable 2nd rank behind Clerics, Dwarves, & Fighters.  Another variation would be to arm them with short bows. If the DM is a stickler for space, then try crossbows firing alternately to keep up the pressure.

And if your CHA is low, well, speak with a silver tongue, and by that I mean, pay cash upfront for loyalty.

2 | Daggers are a ranged weapon: While 1d4 damage might not seem exciting, there is still a 50% chance you will roll a 3 or 4 which is enough to down a 1 HD opponent with an average HP (~4). Or shave off enough to ensure follow-up hits kill them. It's also worth noting that ranged weapons get a +1 to-hit at short range. 

So Mayfly there gets a +3 to-hit with throwing daggers and I've made sure to equip him with 5 to last most combats.

3 | Oil flasks are ranged weapons: This requires a 1-2 combination, but opponents or a square can be covered in oil. Then when flame is applied, its 1d8 damage for 2 rounds to things covered in that oil. So a total potential 2d8 damage, which is pretty hefty. 

Also worth noting that torches can be used as weapons (1d4 dmg).

4 | Scrolls are paper spell slots: Yes, this might be a little obvious, but I think it is under-discussed how scrolls can help enhance party success. The 100 gp/level seems expensive, but if an extra Hold Portal prevents the lizardfolk patrol from getting through a door after you've absconded with two 500 gp ruby eyes then it was worth it. Knowing that Protection from Evil allows you to walk into a room with an iron golem and walk out unmolested, gold chalice in hand is amazing value at 100 gp.

5 | Bring equipment: Most Magic-Users are really not carrying much except a spell books, scroll, and 5 daggers. This leaves plenty of room for useful dungeon equipment like torches, oil, and 50' rope. But also less obvious stuff like a:

• stinky wheel of cheese to pay off the goblins
• water skin of wine to pay off the orcs
• bag of rats to test strange liquids on or throw to giant spiders or toads
• chalk to mark or crush and throw in an opponents eyes or mark the invisible beast with no eyes
• shovel to fetch coins from weird pools you forgot to bring rats for
• crowbar for stuck doors or heavy crypts
• candles for light or to stick in your ears (harpies)
• paper for rubbings of important information
• sacks for anything of interest you can turn into a spell component
• pitchfork so you can pin things you don't want to touch
• spikes to foul traps or wedge doors

Seems like a silly list, but these items are the fuel for crazy OSR high jinks and safe dungeon exploration!

6 | Be a thoughtful player: Just because you don't have an immediately useful spell or any spell to cast doesn't mean you are out of the game or can provide nothing. Your Magic-User is still can perform an action or undertake observations in a dungeon turn. Meaning that a more thorough exploration of the space is performed in a shorter amount of time.

Only on the third session of Nightwick Abbey did Mayfly actually cast a spell from a scroll. Prior to that he participated in no combat (only as an observer), but did marshal his hirelings in the 2nd rank. He wedges doors open/shut. Got eight 1/2 HD creatures to fight to the death over rations. Paid off goblins and made a rope ladder for a quick exit.

Interested in Nightwick? Join the fun and death here!

DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES: How Prime Requisite Is Modified by Other Ability Scores

 

I just want to point out this nice post from BX BLACKRAZOR about the calculation of experience based on prime requisite scores. Which is based on another post on GROGNARDIA. 

Even in the Moldvey/Cook BX, they interpreted it as having to lower other ability scores to increase the prime requisite score.

Certainly one way of doing it, but a possible incorrect interpretation. Here is how a commenter put it for OD&D:

Under Strength:

"For each 3 full points of strength above 9, clerics may consider their prime requisite (Wisdom) 1 higher for the purpose of gaining experience."

Under Intelligence:

"For each 2 full points of intelligence above 9, fighters, clerics, and thieves may consider their prime requisite (strength, wisdom, and dexterity, respectively) 1 higher for the purpose of gaining experience."

Under Wisdom:

"For each 3 full points of wisdom above 9 for fighters, 2 full points for magic-users, or 1 point for thieves, they may consider their respective prime requisites 1 higher for the purpose of gaining experience."In short, In OD&D, high scores in OTHER ability scores could be used to "increase" your prime requisite when determining XP bonus. But because it is written in come convoluted Gygax it is hard to understand.

I've seen a variation of this in the '74 OD&D clone DELVING DEEPER which I also think makes a nice addition to how one can interpret WISDOM in BX:

Wisdom is intuition, common sense, and maturity. Each 2 points of wisdom beyond 10 will add 1 point to the character’s prime requisite for the purpose of calculating experience points earned. Wisdom is the prime requisite for clerics and functions as does intelligence in determining what course of action a non-player character should take. 

HOW DOES IT WORK? 

Well lets say you roll a STR 15, WIS 12, INT 14. Because your STR is the highest score a fighter would be a logical course. But since your WIS 3 point over 9, you get a +1 to prime requisite for the determination of the XP bonus. And because your INT is 5 over 9, you get a +2 to prime requisite for the determination of the XP bonus. 

In total this fighter's prime requisite is 15 +1 +2 or 18! Earning I believe a 20% XP bonus.

THE LOST SERPENT KING: Goals, Feasts, and Classes

Related to this idea seed

Ruleset: B/X is easy, Bluehome for fun?

Goal
* Serpent King left many things untold and now suitors and debtors come to collect. PCs must seek out things in the Forest of Ynn before an allocated time (quest).
* Random table full of goals
* Each set of levels denotes seasons
* Suitors & Debtors: The Dead, The Suitors, The Seliee, The Unseliee, Star Emisary, The Elements (four winds, the sea), Demons & Devils.

Feast
* At the end of the quest, the PCs may tell of their deeds to gain more XP on top of the non-magical bounty they bring back to the castle
* Any unused magical items must be turned in to a particular faction to gain XP
* Carousing, Feasting, Duel, or Poetry

DM NOTE: I think the above is pretty strong. I don't know if the class stuff below matches it. Maybe the Half-children should just be the alternative classes in the Old-School Essentials.

Character Gen: 3d6 down-the-line

Character Class:
* Half-sibling (Fighter)
Chose:
- Animal head/human body- senses of that animal
- Animal body/human head- stats of that animal;
- Animal organs, but mostly human- the ability of that animal
- Monster abilities are 1/day

* Bearer of an intelligent weapon (Cleric/service of higher power)

* Errant Betrothed (Thief)
- Every level you are promised more fortune you can promise to others
- You are constantly pursued by your past

* Witch/Warlock (Magic-user)
- You can use poison
- You can make potions
- Use Druid spell list

* Shade (if dead)

SAVE THROWS: AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD & AS WORLD BUILDING DEVICES

I am not really a fan of a single saving throw a la Swords & Wizardry. The triad of Reflex, Will, Fortitude, does make a lot of dry mechanical sense. But the classic five still have a lot of flavor and charm:

Somewhere it was suggested that your game's saving throws should be named for general things that might happen to players over the course of your game. Someone else once made a post linking each of the saving throws to a demon prince in the Fiend Folio. So a character making a saving throw was like thwarting an evil force-- pretty cool.

I think the most difficult part to the saving throw is just how they feel like an arbitrarily high d20 number and there is not a lot of immediately comprehendible difference between classes. So what if instead of numbers we used increasing die size (a trick Perdition uses for skills) and attempting to roll a 6+?

With any B/X retroclone,  a first level Fighter might start out with all d6s. A dwarf might start all d6s, but a d8 for Poison. A halfling might have a d8 for Breath. Elf and wizards might have d8 for Magic. A cleric might start with two d8s based on their god.

What about the Lost Serpent King & The Broken Forest of Ynn? My sorta Sidney Sime-inspired fairy tale romp?

Taking the rule that saving throws should reflect the adventure, maybe the saves (save on a 6+) would be: Confusion, Illusion, Eternal Slumber, Imprisonment, Transmogrification, Fortune. The idea is that death by damage is avoided, but protagonists are often put to sleep, imprisoned, cursed, transformed, lost and sometimes eaten (a type of transmogrification; swallowed is Imprisonment).

Humans and Halflings have higher Fortune being lucky (d8). Dwarfs, with hearts of stone, might suffer to Eternal Slumber and Imprisonment (d6) but strong against Transmogrification/Confusion (d10). Elves being of magical origin might do well against Impresionment/Eternal Slumber (d8) but easy to anger and distract (so weak against Confusion and Illusion; d6).

UPDATE: To circle back to the first point about save throws reflecting the world. Would it change the feel of a game if the saves where the seven deadly sins- Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, and Sloth? Better to use the 7 virtues? Are various hexcrawls and modules improved by changing the saving throws? Would Carcosa be better with differently named saves? What would Hot Springs Island be? Fire, Water, Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik?

INSPIRED BY MOTHERSHIP, HERE IS A CHARACTER SHEET ORGANIZED TO GET PLAYERS UP AND RUNNING QUICK

Character sheet here, formatted with the new character generation rules found in LotFP's Eldritch Cock.

ISN’T RELIGIOUS FERVOR INSANITY ANYWAY?

http://cavegirlgames.blogspot.com/2019/01/hazards-of-metacognition.html?m=1

Cavegirl always coming with the great nonstandard mechanics. These are for insanity in her psychedelic dream game but I feel like could also be good mechanics for clerics.

Earning XP by drastically different methods could represent just how different the player views the world.

A THIEF USES SKILL TO MANIPULATE THE PHYSICAL. A CLERIC USES SKILL TO MANIPULATE THE SPIRITUAL.

Sime

The ever-clever Scrap Princess has posted about mixing up the core four classes with each other- so the fighter learns spell-like fighting moves, while the wizard buys the halbard spell.

I really like her ideas about the cleric using the thief's percentage skill system to perform a limited set of magical tasks, spell-like abilities, and such. I also like it because it finally puts the cleric as a character class that is "skill" oriented like the thief more than the fighters "weapon" orientation and wizard's "magic" orientation.

This, in my mind, makes a good symmetry: The fighting-man uses physical weapons to defeat the opponents while the magic-user employs arcane weapons. The thief uses their skills to manipulate the physical realm for their betterment, while the cleric uses their skills to manipulate the spiritual realm for the greater betterment (of their god).

She lists the follows as short list of classic cleric abilities:
-banishing supernatural agents
-trapping said agents if they can tricked or convinced to enter a vessel
-casting out possession
-healing sickness, infertility, curses
-fertility (land /domestic animals/ people)
-weather prediction-dispelling illusions/detecting of supernatural influence
-protective wards against disaster or ill intend-assessing auspiciousness of dates , partnerships or signs-omens
-lay dead to rest/ placating angered ghost or spirit 

Of course, converting the thief abilities into spiritual ones could be fun:

Hide in shadows (of your god's glory): gain AC bonus (Lawful), attack bonus (Chaotic) or skill bonus (Neutral) as your god manifests through you
Move silently (and avoid the dead & fate): escape the notice of the dead or a failed saving throw (if you fail to, suffer twice the fate)
Find & Remove Traps (of the soul): remove curses, geas, alignment changes, & lycanthropy
Hear Noise (of the gods' whispers): with the appropriate sacrifice, you may attempt to prognosticate
Climb Sheer Surfaces (out of the grave): percentage chance you will arise provide your body is not eaten or desecrated
Open lock(ed hearts): Recruit folks to your cause provided they are of like alignment or neutral
Pick pockets (of those who should donate to your god): Gain funding from the common man for your pious quest from street preaching

I LIKE THIS IDEA OF PLAYERS EARNING POINTS IN GAME FOR THE NEXT CHARACTER THEY ROLL

At my local FLAGS I have been running a drop-in/drop-out game of The Caverns of Thracia. Since everyone starts out with level 1 characters, it is not surprising they die. This is not too crushing as using B/X-LotFP allows for fast creation. However, it would be nice to reward players somehow for their continued persistence in this game. This is where Kill Your Dungeon Master's fate points come in.  Leveling up, trying a new character class, or whatever the DM wants earns player points they can spend on their next character. So instead of 3d6 down the line, a player can spend points to swap two scores, roll a 4d6-drop lowest for another, maybe even start a level 2!

BACKGROUNDS IN CARCOSA

Great post from Hmmm Marquis on backgrounds, starting equipment, and goals for characters in a wasteland, Carcosa, Black Sun, or Synthexia campaign/hexcrawl. I might be tempted to change the d20 to a d30 table and add more overtly strange techno-stuff to make it more Carcosian.

ALTERNATIVE CLERIC

I play a mostly B/X or LotFP flavored D&D which leaves little room for cleric diversity. Ideally, you'd want to have an individual spell list for each deity, but that can involve almost too much prep work depending on how big the pantheon is (which has posed a problem for my Yoon-Suin campaign). Here is my fix:

• Turn Undead becomes "Turn the Unholy".  Define what "unholy" is for the cleric. If it is as frequent as undead, keep it to one thing. If it rarer, maybe make it 2-3 things.
• Steal Lay on Hands from the Paladin and have the cleric do something thematically similar once per day. Pick a level 1 spell and add PC level to any number. The cleric class is basically a paladin anyway.
• Favored Weapon- cleric gets one, but disadvantage or -2 to-hit with anything else.
• Reduce spell list to only gaining 1 spell per level, it has to be thematic, and each spell, or miracle, can only be performed once per day.