THE SERPENT SONG HYMNAL: My Collection of Tables & Such for Running BX Dungeons & Dragons

I like this illo because it looks
like the heads are singing

Since running the "More Wine!", the wine cellar-turned-dungeon, I have been collecting various tables & rules that I always reach for when running the game. 

I have collected these into a document I call, The Serpent Song Hymnal.

If you have been around the old-school scene for a while, its really nothing surprising but I found it nice to have it all collected in one spot for my own reference. Its kinda feels like assembling my own lightsaber.

My aim is for it to be a living document that evolves as I run games, scratch out well-used results, add new ones, and add/subtract whole tables. It is also not intended to be a new RPG ruleset or anything like that, but more my reflection of BX D&D. The way I butter my toast.

I do have a sort of player version as well. This document is more d6 tables concerning the backgrounds of various classes and the "spin" I like to give them as well as generating equipment rapidly. But I've not quite settled on what I'm reaching for when I'm helping players. Some tables might need to be more concerned with motivations like what I did with Lair of the Lamb.

Here is the fighter for example:

FIGHTER (All receive: Sword, Dagger, Shield, Gambeson)
D12, W13, P14, B15, S16

---

1. Barbarian     Battle Axe, Horned Helm, Oil Flask (2x)
2. Hunter         Bow, Arrows (10x), Snare (2x 2:6 trigger)
3. Guard        Spear, Manacles + Keys, Whistle
4. Errant Axe, Javalins x 2, Chain
5. Mercenary     Bastard Sword (1 or 2 H), Chain
6. Bastard        Loyal Squire (follower), Ancestral Claim, Chain

CRUEL INTENTIONS: The motivations for fae cruelty

Arthur Rackham

A small but good bit I have moved over from Twitter. This is why we should always blog our ideas first THEN put them on social media so we don't have to double post. 

Why are they “cruel" at least by human terms?

First: They can’t create life and so are loathe to destroy it. But certainly will substitute, modify, & transmogrify that life hence all the baby swaps. trades, and turning men into ravens & pigs.

Second: Fae will never let you die (see above). but they also hate the gods and adore worship. So, tricking a bunch of folks into servitude and maintaining that servitude through immortality is the next best thing. But they hate this too because they know it's not true love from humans as the gods know it.

Third: They always take you at your word no matter how sound your mind or body is/isn’t; related- “sound” to fae is roughly “intact”; you and a fox both have equal sound minds & bodies; undead don’t & they don’t make deal with the undead.

THE WHEEL OF TIME: Domain Cycles

Like this, but the figures represent levels
(the nice calendar from
The Blacktongue Thief)

In my ideal D&D ruleset player advancement would stop short of 10th level. I think the 9th-level domain goal is a wonderful one and any advancement after 9th by the player should feed into that. And in fact, I would try to being domain leveling into lower levels in my ideal D&D.

Then the play loop begins again in a (hopefully) changed the world.

But this got me thinking that a table could refer to these loops as "cycles"-- spongy units of time that more mark change in the game state than they do in actual specific amounts of time per se.

I could imagine a table saying remarking something like this: 

"Ha ha remember in the 2nd Cycle when Susan leveled her fighter far enough to get that sweet keep, but we never found the lich so we started the 3rd Cycle trying to mount defences against an army of the undead?"

 Marcia of Traverse Fantasy had the suggestion of also doing a sorta interlude to discuss the implications of the end of one cycle to the beginning of another cycle-- Like a "Cycle Downtime?"

I think this would be a good thing too. In this sorta downtime setting maybe each character NOT at domain level could gain something of value or maybe it allows full development of a downtime institution or relationship:

• Building investments complete
• PC gain a non-landed title status
• Guild standing increases
• A crucial piece of research is completed

Basically something cool that is not quite a level gain, domain attainment, or a +2 sword but still intersting and adds to the world.

TREASURE STOCKING: Is There A Better Way?

 

A classic example of interesting treasure

Quick note: I'm not even sure I am happy with the below solution, but at least I get my thoughts out there.

SO WHAT IS TREASURE GOOD FOR IN D&D? The explicit metapurpose is to gain XP to level up. But treasure also serves purposes of worldbuilding, plot movement, antagonism (e.g. cursed weapons), and provides broad tools to help the PCs plunge deeper into the dungeon. Helpful when characters are randomly determined.

I think that "good" treasure placement in a dungeon is achieved when all tthe above points are satisfied when looking at the whole level. By ensuring that the treasure placed in the dungeon serves multiple play and character functions, I think we maintain momentum within the classic playstyle on a per session basis.

Why is this "momentum" important? Because unlike the 1970's of D&D's development, we now live in a world with more time constraints and increased entertainment competition. D&D was developed in an environment where Gygax and Arneson were playing weekly games lasting between 8-12 hours as reported in Game Wizards, Playing At The World, and The Secrets of Blackmoor. At best I am able to pull a weekly 2-4 hour session, maybe an additioal twice monthly game.

Also, in the grand scheme of things I as a DM want to bring aspects of higher level play "down" into the lower levels. Interacting the the fantastical should not have to wait until 5th or 6th level. First level play should also astound in the same manner even if you only have 3 hp. And in truth, most players don't have that sort of real-life time.

Intersting treasure serves both purposes it allows for steady character progression while also providing resources for the party to (hopefuly) take educated risk in the setting be it exploration or "social".

So what specifically is a "good" treasure spread? And I am trying to arrive at something similar to the overloaded encounter die or dungeon checklist of treasure. This is to say both a way of ascertaining if a dungeon level has good treasure and a easy procedure by which to generate it.

LEVEL 1 TREASURE

While I don't think we need to go level by level to illistrate the point, here is what I think is good treasure in a level 1 dungeon:

• Provide enough GP for a party of 4 fighters to advance to level 2 if all treasure is found
• 50% of the treasure should serve other purposes (notable art, notorious signet ring)
• At least 2 spells the MU does not currently have in their spellbook
• 3 potions that overcome dungeon obstacles
• Magic damage that is 1-shot or disposable (silver arrows or +1 sling pellets)

So how can I place this treasure easily? Right now the method of dungeon generation is to place the important treasure, monsters, and/or factions first then randomly stock using this classic table:

Roll 1d6 for contents & treasure for each room

1,2 | Monster    (3:6 treasure)

3    | Trap          (2:6 treasure)

4,5 | Empty       (1:6 treasure "hidden")

6    | Special      (no treasure)

If the room contains a monster then you use the treasure type found in its entry, otherwise there is a second treasure table that is for non-monster guarded loot:

For each non-monster guarded treasure

• 1d6 x 100 SP
• 1d6 x 10 GP (50%)
• 1d6 gems (5%)
• 1d6  pieces of jewlery (2%)
• Magic item (2%)

This is okay, but I feel it runs the risk of making a dungeon anemic in terms of both treasure and items which can help overcome dungeon obsticles. And I can't stand the monster treasure tables. I almost just think it makes more sense to write some average treasure haul in each entry like HP.

MY POSSIBLE SOLUTION

After placing important noteworthy treasure, monsters, and obsticles, I propose the following:

First: I want to ensure that all the treasure on X level can advance the characters to the next level if they find most of it. To calculate this, I just use the XP progression for a fighter. For four fighters moving from level 1 to level 2 that is 8000 GP in total treasure.

Second: by BX standards, treasure comes as coin, gems, jewelry, scrolls, potions, & a wide variety of magic items (which is inversly related to how often randomly rolling will bring them into play). Since I want to test all of this out, I am just going with the bog-standard BX stuff and see if I can put a few intresting twists on them. Here is also a fantastic way to spice treasures up using spark tables!

Third: I want to give each of those catagories a context by pariring them with room contents. So, only certain treasure will be found in the context of certain rooms instead of it being anything.

For instance, I think a trap in a lst level dungeon is going to be guarding jewlery or magic because no one would trap something they are going to access frquently like loose coin-- you use guards instead. Also traps allow the thing to be visable because it could serve a symbolic purpose, but protected. So, the jewlery could be a crown or septor with some significance in the region. If magic, maybe this is a one-use javlin of lightinging forged to kill a demon but only in a "In Case of Emergency, Break Glass" way. Or maybe it is a small stash of healing potions that only clerics can touch.

Fourth: I want the specific treasure to be as easy to generate as the the Room Contents x Treasure table above. I really hate  rolling a monster then 6 different percentages of its treasure type then rolling on a sub table. If its a lair, fine, but rarely is that the case. And really if it is a lair, its contents should be more intentionally placed. And I want the treasure table to change between level 1-4 "hero" & 5-8 "super hero".

Here is my combination table:

LEVEL 1-4 ROOM STOCKING: Roll 1d6 for contents, treasure, & treasure type for each room

1,2 | Monster    (3:6 treasure)                   Coin (1-3) || Gem/Jewelry (4-6) 

3    | Trap          (2:6 treasure)                   Gem/Jewelry (1-4) || Magic Item (5-6)

4,5 | Empty       (1:6 treasure "hidden")   Gem/Jewelry (1-2) || Scroll (3-4) || Potion (5-6)

6    | Special      (no treasure)                    The room itself is a treasure in some fashion (e.g. alter)

Once again I find myself writing a lot of words for what is essentially a small table. I dunno if this had solved my "problem" but at least I feel like I've aired my thoughts.