• AC is 3, unarmored.
• Attack is 1d6, unarmed.
• May use any object that she can lift as an improvised buckler, for AC 2.
• May attack with any object she can lift (1d6 damage); the only advantage to this is not actually having to touch the target (in case it’s on fire or is an ooze or something) and she gets the reach of the object (if you’re using rules for reach).  The Martial Artist isn’t subject to the penalties for the size of the object (if you’re using those) as long as she’s not using the extra reach, since she can just change her grip to not use it at full extension.
• May not use missile weapons, or ordinary weapons except as improvised bucklers/ways of extending reach (i.e. doesn’t get additional damage if using variable weapon damage rules, doesn’t get bonuses for magic weapons).

That’s it.  You’re encouraged to also use “Super Simple Combat Maneuvers“, to give the Martial Artist more variety and the chance to do take-downs, holds, and the like.

If you want a Martial Artist with Esoteric Chi powers, you could base it on an Elf instead, and adapt the spells to chi powers, but that’s for another day.

We returned once more to the building where I had previously bested the Gelatinous Cube, hoping to find the stairs down and perhaps recover some more treasure.  I swear that I’ve spent more on oil on these expeditions than I have recovered in gold. But hope springs eternal, eh?

Taking care to spike the doors open behind us, so that we would have no more of the foolishness of being unable to chase the mysterious spear-flinger due to recalcitrant doors, we were able to map out the section of the building that led to the room with a desk where the dwarf lost his hand (and no more, thanks to my quick action with a tourniquet, not that he ever thanked me. Dwarves.) and past the greasy remains of the Cube.

We were attacked  by a shadowy figure, again throwing a spear.  The mage, Philip, used a wand of unusual design the emitted a weird ray, but was unable to hit the fleeing creature, nor were we able to overtake it before losing it.  We suspected a secret door, and indeed it was slightly past this section where, Philip sensed some opening, but was unable to pinpoint it.  With the aid of some fine sand, I was able to detect an air current, which revealed a secret passage.  The passage was narrow, and led to a room much like the desk room, but full of shelving with shattered jars.  There was a funny, acidic smell, and a ochre-colored sludge started flowing towards us.

We retreated through the secret passage, and attacked it with fire. This had some effect, but it kept advancing.  The wizard used his wand of rays (which he called his phaser, I know not why.  Perhaps its power is related to the phases of the moon? At one point he handed it to me, but I was unable to examine it closely). As usual, he was ineffective, but it caused the jelly to retreat to a position above the doorway and out of our line of sight.  A jelly of unusual cunning, it seemed.

I poured out some of my stock of oil in front of us, and threw a chunk of rations beneath the doorway.  This had the desired effect of luring it once more into view as it oozed down to engulf the treat.  Once again we attacked it with torches and the “phaser”, and it oozed forward and attacked me.  Unfortunately, it scored a hit on me, and only my armor saved me from certain death.  The armor was ruined, but I was merely stunned, and my companions had the wit to drop a torch into the oil slick that I had prepared and roasted the beast… it retreated but this time the wizard was able to hit it with the beam and it finally stopped moving.  He fired into it again to make sure.

At this point I was more than ready to retreat and lick my wounds, but my companions wished to press on.  Not wishing to dare the way out alone, with the mysterious spear-thrower lurking about, I reluctantly followed; at least one of the hired men offered me the use of his armor.  I demurred, since even I would not stoop to taking candy from the mouths of babes, but he insisted that he hadn’t been in the slightest danger so far.  Seeing as how God loves fools, it seemed to me he would be safe enough.  Since I am not one, I donned the armor.

Past the ruined room, we found a door, and from behind the door came the sound of heavy breathing. After a quick, but not nearly silent enough conversation (honestly, amateurs), the party opened the door, only to be confronted by an enraged Owl Bear.  Philip’s sleep spell was ineffective.  We ran, proving we were not so foolish as all that, and made it safely out of the castle, shutting the secret door on the Owl Bear….only barely after the dwarf made it through.  I harbor some doubts as to whether Philip actually intended to wait for the dwarf; I should perhaps be more wary of letting him get behind me in the future, should our paths cross again.

Having restocked my supplies, I intend to have another go tonight.  We shall see if I survive, or manage to recover anything of worth.  Should you not hear from me again, know that that I remain,

your obedient humble servant,
Kylie

Stats (min 1)
Toughness 2 +/- CON bonus
Will 2 +/- WIS bonus
Stamina 2
Actions 2 +/- INT bonus (positive only)

Powers
If not spell-casting class, or if Cleric:
Name of your Class 4 + (Level)
If spell-casting class (including Cleric):
Combat Spells 4 + Highest Level Spell you can cast. Advantage: Flexible (choose number of spells equal to your score in spells) Disadvantage: Shots (number of shots = power level)
All classes:
Ruggedness 4 + (HP / 6, round nearest)
Reflexes 4 +/- DEX bonus

Shticks
Charisma 4 +/- CHA bonus
Languages 4 +/- INT bonus
If Melee combat class (Fighter, Paladin, Ranger, etc):
Brawn 4 +/- STR bonus
If Missile combat class (Fighter, Ranger, Thief, etc):
Aim 4 +/- DEX bonus
If spell-casting class:
Knowledge 4 +/- INT bonus (WIS bonus for Clerics)

Restrictions
If Cleric:
Must obey tenets of the church

Equipment
Small weapon d4 Thrown d4 Leather Armor d4
Medium weapon/staff d6 Bow d6 Chainmail d6
2H Weapon d8 Crossbow d8 Plate Armor d8
Cheap equipment d4
Medium equipment d6
Expensive equipment d8 ]]> http://webamused.com/bumblers/2012/03/05/dd-to-zounds-conversion/feed/ 0 http://webamused.com/bumblers/2012/03/04/brynns-saga/ http://webamused.com/bumblers/2012/03/04/brynns-saga/#comments Sun, 04 Mar 2012 17:06:33 +0000 Joshua http://webamused.com/bumblers/?p=1527 Brynn’s Saga, being an account of the early adventures of Brynn, at the behest of Jeffrey of Osthoff, curator of the XPs

Brynn
iron armed, bicep bulging
hale and hearty Brynn
Warden entrusted, elf-maiden wanted
Sallies forth, friends found
stag on snow, blood bespattered
Elf-maiden safe away
Shrine spider-infested
Brynn bitten, spider squishing
stratagem suggests
offal arranged, oil arrayed
arachnids alight, shrine saved
Brynn
arrow attacked, woefully wounded
goblin’s guggle to zatch unzipped
Awful altar ablaze
grotesque goblin guts
vile vitals vented,
Wardens win
Brynn,
boon beseeched
false friend, creature’s captive
Paladin’s palliation proffered,
senile semblance sloughed
egregious evil exposed
White Lady’s wyrd, warriors warded
craven cowardly Corrruptor creeps
away. Avaunt!
Vile villain vanished!
Boisterous, bouyant,Battle-tested
Brynn

Untimately: 20 Quick Questions: Rules

Here are 20 rules clarifications that are likely to be needed anyways at some point.

1. Ability scores generation method?
   Your Attribute scores are determined by your Template (Hero, Adventurer, Wise One), though you can improve them at creation or later by spending points.
2. How are death and dying handled?
   In base Zounds! you only die if you feel it’s suitable (presumably you’ll have been rendered Out or Overkilled first, but that’s not strictly necessary); in grittier play any Overkill result means death.
3. What about raising the dead?
   Absolutely, if you want it…though it probably comes with a price (you’re a ghost, or undead, or in the thrall of some necromancer, or under a geas by a deity).
4. How are replacement PCs handled?
   They just show up, as soon as I can work them in. They start at 1 Boost less than the rest of the party.
5.  Initiative: individual, group, or something else?
   No initiative, just go around the table.
6. Are there critical hits and fumbles?
   Not as such.
7. How do they work?
   If you’re Hindered that might be narrated the way other systems treat a fumble; if you score an Overkill, that might be narrated as a critical.
8. Do I get any benefits for wearing a helmet?
   Helmets make it less likely that you’ve picked up a serious injury/new Complication when you recover from being Out.
9. Can I hurt my friends if I fire into melee or do something similarly silly?
   No.  If it would be silly given the conventions of the genre you’re using, you’re supposed to refrain from doing it; if it’s plausible (e.g. you’re doing action-movie style adventure) then you might miss, but you won’t hurt your friends.
10. Will we need to run from some encounters, or will we be able to kill everything?
    It would probably be wise to run sometimes, but if you insist on fighting then likely your worst case is capture rather than death, unless you’re playing it gritty.
11. Level-draining monsters: yes or no?
    No levels, though there are some monsters that can infect you or even potentially re-write your character as a thrall.
12. Are there going to be cases where a failed save results in PC death?
    No saves as such; there may be times when failing an unopposed task could plausibly result in PC death, but it’s generally up to the player to bite that particular bullet.
13. How strictly are encumbrance & resources tracked?
    Again, the players are asked to keep things plausible according to their own understanding of the genre.  You can take extra resources with you on a quest, in order to sacrifice them along the way to overcome obstacles, but if you do so you risk losing wealth.
14. What’s required when my PC gains a level? Training? Do I get new spells automatically? Can it happen in the middle of an adventure, or do I have to wait for down time?
    You only get XP in between sessions, but it’s conceivable that you spend XP in the middle of a session; this could represent suddenly figuring something out or spending time training and researching during the session, or getting new assets.
15. What do I get experience for?
    1 XP per session.  1 additional XP for “carousing” (volunteering to be hit with the plot hammer). 1 additional XP for being put Out , plus one if the whole party was defeated (defeat is an excellent teacher) . Possibly 1 or 2 for completing a long story arc.
16. How are traps located? Description, dice rolling, or some combination?
    You mostly just spot them if you have an appropriate ability; particularly well concealed or planned traps might require a roll, or might simply succeed.
17. Are retainers encouraged and how does morale work?
    Absolutely.  At low scopes, retainers are individuals and have a Will stat (and possibly their own or your abilities) to resist attempts to scare them or undermine their morale; at higher scopes, retainers will represent entire groups and will have a Morale stat for much the same purposes.
18. How do I identify magic items?
    Try them.  Or use an appropriate ability to research them.
19. Can I buy magic items? Oh, come on: how about just potions? Can I create magic items? When and how?
    Buying them depends on the setting, but is likely to cost an astonishing amount of money or agreeing to a quest in order to get a magician to custom make a magic item for you.  Wise Ones can create new magic items by research (that’s part of what they’re about); other templates might be able to depending on their particular abilities.  In any case, players will have to spend XP and not just money in order to get the items.
20. What about splitting the party?
    Be my guest.  Unless you mean overland or in the city, in which case running errands that will get hand-waved is fine, but I encourage the players not to go on separate adventures as a courtesy to each other and to me.

Untimately: 20 Quick Questions: Rules

Here are 20 rules clarifications that are likely to be needed anyways at some point.

1. Ability scores generation method?
   Roll 3d6, and assign to an attribute; repeat until you’ve run out of attributes.
2. How are death and dying handled?
   I was doing 0 = dead, but now I’m thinking Trollsmyth’s Death and Dismemberment table
3. What about raising the dead?
   Absolutely, if you can afford it.
4. How are replacement PCs handled?
   They just show up, as soon as I can work them in. They start at 1st level.
5.  Initiative: individual, group, or something else?
   Group, only rolled at the start of the encounter. I’ve never understood why a side would sometimes get two turns in a row. If you have an initiative bonus or penalty you may go before or after the rest of the group.
6. Are there critical hits and fumbles?
   Yes.
7. How do they work?
   Currently damage dice are “exploding”; I’m considering switching to Arduin charts, just because.
8. Do I get any benefits for wearing a helmet?
   You’re penalized by 1 AC if you’re not wearing your helmet.  It should probably be more, but then so should shields.
9. Can I hurt my friends if I fire into melee or do something similarly silly?
   Absolutely.  Foes are granted cover; if the roll is a miss because of cover, compare the roll to see if it would hit your friend’s AC.
10. Will we need to run from some encounters, or will we be able to kill everything?
    Not only will you sometimes need to run, you probably should avoid fighting if you can help it.
11. Level-draining monsters: yes or no?
    Yes, though I can’t recall the last time somebody ran into one.
12. Are there going to be cases where a failed save results in PC death?
    Absolutely. A better way to look at it is “Are there going to be cases where a PC who would have died gets off because of a succesful save?”
13. How strictly are encumbrance & resources tracked?
    Not at all. I should probably make people at least make a guestimate given their standard gear, but I don’t.
14. What’s required when my PC gains a level? Training? Do I get new spells automatically? Can it happen in the middle of an adventure, or do I have to wait for down time?
    You have to wait for downtime before I even calculate XP.  You need to find or buy new spells.  Training is an optional way of turning gold into XP or higher stats.
15. What do I get experience for?
    Treasure, killing monsters, minor xp for doing something that amused the GM. XP for treasure is one of those things I think is important in order to reward not fighting everything.
16. How are traps located? Description, dice rolling, or some combination?
    Description.  Roll the dice as a save if you didn’t describe something that by rights ought to have found it.
17. Are retainers encouraged and how does morale work?
    Absolutely.  Per the D&D Basic rules (as I remember them) 2d6 vs. morale, when 1st ally dies, and when half the allies are dead. At the GM’s option if something spectacular like a critical happens.
18. How do I identify magic items?
    Try them.  Or cast Identify, or pay a Wizard back in town to do it.
19. Can I buy magic items? Oh, come on: how about just potions? Can I create magic items? When and how?
    Of course, if you can afford it.  Potions can be quite reasonable, permanent items cost a lot.  Nobody’s gotten to high enough level to create any magic items except scrolls.
20. What about splitting the party?
    Be my guest.  Unless you mean overland or in the city, in which case running errands that will get hand-waved is fine, but I encourage the players not to go on separate adventures as a courtesy to each other and to me.

In event of an immanent unacceptable TPK roll 1d8 on each table.
Foes
1. capture them
2. flee
3. parley
4. turn on each other
5. become distracted
6. change sides
7. surrender
8. are defeated by a miracle. (Stop. Do not roll on because.)

because
1. somebody the party once helped arrives*
2. an old enemy of the party arrives*
3. an enemy of the foes arrives
4. a powerful supernatural entity intervenes
5. an unforeseen disaster occurs
6. they mistake one of the party for somebody else
7. they have a change of plans
8. reroll.

* substitute a mysterious stranger if the party has no plausible old enemies or allies.

Note that in many games TPKs are entirely acceptable, or acceptable under certain circumstances. This is just for the times when a GM wants to stop a TPK in progress without fudging the dice.

A  little thing I did