OD&D Conversion

We wrapped up my Astonishing Swordsman & Sorcerers of Hyperborea campaign last night. Perhaps fittingly it was a TPK. A horde of undead overbore the party, and after a cleric-less battle of valorous proportions everyone was dead. Being aware it was the final session, the players decided to fight to the death (though I think they could have escaped if they wished).

After the session I asked the players their thoughts on the system. We've had a total of 14 sessions by my count, which I think is a decent amount to get a handle on a system. People were generally positive with the experience. The two phase combat has been difficult for me to get my head around (practically speaking) and I think this translated in the sessions. Also the descending armour class was different from the games we grew up on (but something I am personally very familiar with). Unsurprisingly, these were the things which were mentioned as downsides. The upsides were the deadliness of combat and the general mood. Let it be noted that the group played excellently throughout this campaign.

I am currently scheming an OD&D sandbox concept. The goal is open-ended exploration, rife with dungeons, cults, interesting wilderness spaces, odd races, spacemen, and everything else that makes a game of D&D fun. My approach is beginning with the White box. Over time I may add some details from the Greyhawk supplement, but for now I'll keep it super simple. Classes will be custom for the most part, though Fighting-Man, Cleric, and Magic-User will be defaults. Given the player feedback regarding descending armour class, I converted the Men & Magic tables to an ascending system. I haven't fully decided whether I'll keep it traditional, or use ascending armour class. Part of me thinks it may be easier (for both me and the players) to use my conversion.

If you're interested check out my downloads page or click HERE. 

Print friendly version can be found HERE.

Example Page

I've attempted to keep the representations faithful to the originals - a literal translation. You'll notice I've created a table which extrapolates the attack bonuses for each level (and class). These are not "raw" because I have had to fill in progressions between say +1 and +3, making an executive decision on how those progressions are made. If you do not like the way I have interpreted this, simply use the preceding tables. In the interest of clarity I have also added the Saving Throws in a more readable format. Hope this is helpful!

Sandboxing (A Work In Progress)

I've decided to compile a growing collection of tables into one booklet. The purpose: to assist with an upcoming hexcrawl/megadungeon/sandbox campaign I'm working on. Maybe other people will enjoy them too. I've already published three of these to my blog, but I've attempted to tidy them up somewhat in a slightly more professional manner. 

The booklet is aptly entitled "Sandboxing". I will continue to add new tables to the booklet, as I create them. It will be available exclusively (for the moment) from my downloads page. If it grows to a publishable size, I may look at making a print-on-demand version available. If you like it, keep checking back. This is a long-term project, and I have two other projects of much higher priority, but I do hope to keep plugging away at it over the next year or two. 

Get it directly from HERE or check out my downloads page. 

NPC Toolkit Tables

Over the next few months I'll be working on a booklet (that may turn into a book) of NPC-related tables. Of course, this may even expand into something bigger. I already have some ideas of where this whole project could progress, but I am fundamentally interested in creating a set of useful tools that can be used in-game to quickly generate ideas.

My tables follow a d100 design thus far - because the more ideas the merrier right? Other tables may not follow this progression, but for now they will. I released my "Dispositions" table earlier this week, but I have added another two to the complement:

1. NPC Appearance Table

2. NPC Professions Table

Both can be found under the "Downloads" tab on my blog. I will hopefully make time to update and add to these tables over the coming weeks and months, eventually providing a whole package of tables. 

Happy gaming!

NPC Dispositions Table - D100

Download From DropBox (Full Colour Version)

Download From Dropbox (Text Only)

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NPC Dispositions Table

      I.   This table can be used to determine an NPC’s personality or traits.

                             II.   This table can be used during a chance encounter, or for a known NPC’s ephemeral reaction or current mood.

  III.         Roll 1d100 and match the result to the table below; this is the NPC’s disposition.

  IV.         Repeat to your heart’s content.

Secondary Skills: A Chandler's Gotta Eat!

Note: If you want a PDF copy head to my Downloads page or directly from DropBox.

Secondary skills within earlier editions of Dungeons & Dragons and their more recent retro-clones are a commonly debated inclusion. While many who implement such systems use these ‘skills’ merely as a role-playing device, or to flesh out their character to a greater extent, I would suggest considering a system whereby these professionals are benefitted in some small way.

I: Earning Some Coin

The two tables below may be used in times of non-adventuring when adventurers wish to earn some extra coin. First, determine the character’s background or secondary skill (pg. 12 AD&D DMG). Next, roll on Table I: Locating Paid Work. In my campaigns I would roll on Table I for each week paid work is sought. This presumes the adventure is located within a substantially sized town or city. But you, fellow DM, may change this period to a daily rate or even a monthly rate depending on the value of coinage in your campaign.

Table I: Locating Paid Work (Roll 1d6)

D6 Result	Outcome
1	Failed to locate work
2-3	Located minimal paid work (roll once on Table II)
4-5	Located consistent paid work (roll twice on Table II)
6	Located ample paid work (roll thrice on Table II)

When it has been determined whether work has been located, and if so, how much work, roll on Table II: Earnings. Some results from Table I will necessitate multiple rolls on Table II. If so tally the results to determine the total earnings for that week.

Table II: Earnings (Roll 1d6)

D6 Result	Outcome
1	Earned a wage of 1d4+2 copper pieces
2-3	Earned a wage of 1d8+2 silver pieces
4-5	Earned a wage of 1d4+2 gold pieces
6	Earned a wage of 1d8+2 gold pieces

Example:

Tuscott Irontooth has a background as a carpenter. He seeks work for two weeks between adventures. The DM (or optionally the player) rolls 1d6 per week on Table I. The result is 1 and 5. Consulting Table I, Tuscott fails to find work on the first week, but on the second locates some ‘consistent paid work’. Rolling twice on Table II, he earns a total of 4 gold pieces and 6 silver pieces. Tuscott then remembers why he took up adventuring in the first place: carpentry is not as lucrative as adventuring! Thereafter he locates another dungeon to plunder.

II: ‘I Am After All, Skilled’

Some professions such as a trader, a locksmith or a gambler may infer benefits within an adventuring context. The DM may wish to afford a small modifier to certain tasks based on the character’s profession. For example a trader may add an additional +1 modifier to reaction rolls based on his cheery disposition and experience when dealing with humans, a locksmith may possess additional skill with bypassing non-magical locks, while a chandler will be able to make candles rather than pay for them.

In these ways secondary skills provide some minor mechanical benefits, while retaining the broad role-playing possibilities traditionally associated with these ‘skills’. For those who wish a more granular system, everything herein can be modified to suit one’s personal sensitivities.