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More fun with Erin D. Smale’s BX Options: Class Builder and TSR’s Oriental Adventures! Today I convert the AD&D bushi class to B/X D&D.

Nota Bene: Those previous links are affiliate links. If you click and purchase, I get a few coppers. Also, much of the class description below comes from Oriental Adventures after some minor editing.

Bushi

Bushi are masterless warriors, men without ties to a lord, temple, or monastery. They are commonly mercenaries, bandits. highwaymen, or wanderers who earn their money however they can. They can be found serving samurai, protecting the court, or swelling the ranks of armies. A few may be high-born aristocrats who have fallen by the way. Most, however, are people of low birth who have chosen the warrior’s way to advance in the world.

Although bushi are often poor, they are seldom out of work. There is always a need for a stout warrior or at least a strong hand. Just as the nobles have their samurai to protect them, the peasants and merchant folk often look to the bushi for protection. The pay usually is not good, but it provides for a bushi’s basic needs. A bushi in a friendly or neutral village or town almost always find employment, food, and shelter, even if the food may be thin rice gruel and the shelter a leaky stable.

Bushi come from all levels of society, but they are not required to belong to a family. The choice is optional. Those who do belong to a family have all the bonuses and penalties for gaining and keeping honor. Bushi often have a measure of self-respect and attempt to follow bushido; however, honor restrictions are significantly less for bushi than other classes.

Requirements: Minimum STR 9, CON 9, and DEX 9
Prime Requisite: STR
Hit Dice: 1d6
Maximum Level: 14
Armor: Any, including shields
Weapons: Any
Languages: Alignment, Trade Tongue

Restrictions

Stronghold: When bushi reach 9th level, they may build strongholds.

Abilities

Bargain Hunter: At 1st level, a bushi has a 2 in 6 chance to find a piece of common equipment available at half normal price. This chance improves by 1 every 5 levels (to a maximum of 5 in 6).

Combat: Bushi make attacks and saving throws as fighters.

Kiai: Once per day, bushi can unleash a kiai, a ki-powered shout. For one turn after unleashing a kiai, the bushi has a +1 “to hit” bonus with all attacks.

Pick Pockets: Bushi can Pick Pockets as a thief of equal level.

Nimble Dodge: Bushi become better at dodging attacks. At 2nd level, bushi have a +1 bonus to AC. This improves by +1 at 6th, 10th, and 14th levels, to a maximum of a +4 bonus. A bushi’s nimbleness is treated like a Dexterity adjustment to AC.

Weapon Specialization: At 1st level, a bushi chooses a specific weapon (such as spear or short bow). Bushi have a +1 “to hit” and damage bonus with their chosen weapon.

Tags: B/X D&D, Character Classes, Oriental Adventures

This week, I picked up the PDF of Erin D. Smale’s BX Options: Class Builder. I’m digging it. The layout is easy to read, the organization clear and thoughtful, and the system simple but robust. Because I’ve long had a lingering fondness for TSR’s Oriental Adventures, I took the korobokuru race from that book, processed it through BX Options, and produced a korobokuru class suitable for B/X D&D.

Nota Bene: Those previous links are affiliate links. If you click and purchase, I get a few coppers.

Korobokuru

Korobokuru are a race of dwarves who live in vast jungles, snowy mountain forests, or barren wilderness areas. They seldom come into contact with humans. Korobokuru prefer remote and forbidding sites of great natural beauty. There they live in simple villages or camps, moving only when forced to by the advance of human settlements. In appearance korobokuru are about four feet tall, with arms and legs slightly longer in proportion to their bodies than a human’s. Most are bowlegged. Their arms and legs are hairy, and males have sparse beards. Most korobokuru have a wild, unkempt appearance as judged by human standards.

Culturally, korobokuru are much less advanced than most of their human neighbors. They hunt and tend small farms in secluded areas, and create simple pieces of art and craft. They normally avoid human contact. Because of this (and the general conceit of humans), humans consider korobokuru to be backward primitives, and rarely accept them as full members of human society. Korobokuru are typically seen as rude, pugnacious, boastful, and somewhat comical by the so-called civilized world. Korobokuru organize themselves into families and clans much the
same way humans do.

Requirements: Minimum STR 8 and CON 12, maximum INT 15
Prime Requisites: STR, CON
Hit Dice: 1d10
Maximum Level: 10
Armor: Any non-plate, including shields
Weapons: Any small or normal-sized weapons
Languages: Tribal, Trade Tongue, Spirit Folk, Hengeyokai

Restrictions

Bad Reputation: So-called civilized peoples view korobokuru with a combination of disdain and pity. Korobokuru suffer a -1 penalty to all reaction rolls when interacting with such peoples.

Stronghold: When korobokuru reach 7th level, they may build strongholds and attempt to establish clans.

Abilities

Combat: Korobokuru make attacks and saving throws as fighters. Korobokuru enjoy a +1 “to hit” against bakemono, goblins, goblin rats, and hobgoblins. Against giants (including creatures such as oni and ogres), korobokuru enjoy a +2 bonus to AC.

Infravision: Korobokuru have infravision, which allows them to see 120 feet in the dark.

Hunter-Gatherer: Korobokuru are able to identify normal flora and fauna two-thirds of the time (a roll of 1-4 on a d6).

Resistances: Korobokuru have a +1 bonus to saving throws made to resist poison, magic wands, rods, staves, and spells.

Tags: B/X D&D, Character Classes, Oriental Adventures

Elfland’s Ethics & World Building | World-Building: Causes & Consequences | World-Building: Geneses | World-Building: About Alignment | World-Building: The False Light | World-Building: The Elves | World-Building: Rules Changes I

Nota Bene: Some of the details below may seem less detailed than necessary. If so, it’s likely because I’m still working the answers to a few questions.

Isarn Egni, the Forge Lord, mined iron from the depths of the First Mountain. He purified the metal with the heat of his gaze and hammered it on the Dread Anvil into the forms of Heled and Murgeda, the first dwarves. Isarn Egni granted his creatures life by plunging them into pure spring water untouched by sunlight. He then gave Heled and Murgeda dominion over all lightless places as well as the lands surrounding the entrances to the World-Under.

During the Second Age, dwarven culture reached its pinnacle. The dwarves expanded westward across the Duna, driving the elves from their cities and liberating the humans whom the elves had ruled. Dwarves built and controlled the most powerful cities, crafting an empire that radiated out from Ironspyre, the mightiest dwarven mountain home. Dwarven hegemony shattered during the Gargarizein, when gargoyles erupted from World-Under into the Deeps to overrun several major dwarven strongholds. Thousands of dwarf warriors died defending their domains. Thousands more abandoned their homes when it became clear hope was lost.

Today, dwarves are uncommon. The surviving clans have scattered, forming enclaves in a handful of cities along the Duna, the great river that separates the Western Lands from the plains beneath the Sundered Chain, that range of mountains that was once the backbone of dwarven military and political power. Within these enclaves, dwarven guilds dominate all aspects of metalworking while the scions of once-great clans dream of reclaiming their ancient mountain halls.

Prime Requisite: Strength
Level Limit: 12
Multi-Class Options: Cleric, Paladin, Thief

Dwarf Special Abilities

These special abilities replace those described in the standard rules.

Armor and Weapons: Dwarves can wear any armor and use shields. They may use any weapon of normal or small size, but may use neither two-handed swords or longbows.

Dark Sight: Dwarves can see in total (nonmagical) darkness as if it were bright light. In dim light or night-time conditions, their vision is limited to 120 feet, and they lose the ability to discern color, seeing everything in black, white, and shades of gray. Dwarves have their vision further reduced to 60 feet in bright light, and they suffer a -1 on their “to hit” rolls in such conditions.

Languages: Dwarves speak Common and Dwarven. If they speak any additional languages, the first choice must be Garg, Goblin, or Orc.

Mettle of Metal: Dwarves possess remarkable toughness. Nonmagical fire inflicts -2 points of damage per damage die (with a minimum of 0 points per die). Magical fire inflicts -1 point of damage per damage die (with minimum of 1 point per die). Dwarves take 1 fewer points of damage from cutting or slashing attacks (to a minimum of 1 point of damage).

Skilled: When making an ability check related to metalwork, mining, or stonework, reduce the difficulty by 1d6.

Stout: A dwarf’s tactical movement is not affected by encumbrance to the same extent other races experience.

Tags: B/X D&D, character races, world-building

In 1776, draughtsman Filippo Morghen published The Suite of the Most Notable Things Seen by Cavaliere Wild Scull, and by Signore de la Hire on Their Famous Voyage from the Earth to the Moon. The fantasy recounts the journey of the title characters as they leave Earth and travel to the Moon. Among the inhabitants of the Moon are people who smoke tobacco and bear a curious resemblance to certain Native Americans.

Men, Lunarian (Humanoid, Any)
Armor Class: 9
Hit Dice: 1 (M)
Move: 120′ (40′)
Attacks: 1 weapon
Damage: 1-6 or by weapon
No. Appearing: 2-5 (20-50, A)
Save As: Fighter 1
Morale: 8

Lunarians reside far from the terrestrial world, making their homes among the alien forests and marshlands of the lunar surface. They have little skill with metalworking, but Lunarians have mastered the arts of agriculture and horticulture. They cultivate all manner of useful plants, including the giant pumpkins into which they carve their homes. These pumpkins are as sturdy as brick, but so light they can float or water and can be suspended from slender tree branches without fear of collapse.

For every 20 Lunarians, there will be an additional 2nd-level fighter who acts as a leader. For every 40 Lunarians, there will be an additional 4th-level fighter war leader. In their lair, typically a village near or on water, there will be a chieftain who is either a 7th-level fighter (50% likely), 6th-level cleric (30% likely), or 5th-level magic-user (20% likely). This chieftain has a retinue of guards comprised of 2-8 4th-level fighters.

Tags: B/X D&D, monsters

Elfland’s Ethics & World Building | World-Building: Causes & Consequences | World-Building: Geneses | World-Building: About Alignment | World-Building: The False Light | World-Building: The Elves

Today a shorter post to clarify a couple of things that the elf introduced as game mechanics not native to B/X D&D.

Multi-Class Options

A character of any race can multi-class, giving the character one additional class. So, an elf could be a cleric/elf or an elf/thief (owing to my love for alphabetizing). The system I’m using follows AD&D in many respects. XP is always divided evenly between the classes. This means, for example, that a cleric/elf levels up in cleric faster than in elf, but slower than either a cleric qua cleric or an elf qua elf.

Hit points are determined by the average of both classes’ Hit Dice when those dice are different. The cleric/elf would just use d6 for Hit Dice, but the elf/thief would use (1d6+1d4)/2 to determine hit points. Constitution modifier applies to the quotient. Saving throws per category follow whichever class has the best number. The multi-class character uses the least restrictive armor and weapons, except for thieves (who are limited in armor) and clerics (who are limited in weapons).

Ability Checks

The ability check system I want to use is still under construction. Ability checks are used for determining the success of actions that are not “to-hit” rolls or saving throws. The DM determines the difficulty based on the player’s description of the action, the circumstances surrounding the action, et cetera. The action attempted is either Easy, Average, Hard, or Nigh Impossible. The DM also determines which of the six ability scores best fits the attempted action.

I’m uncertain about how I want to handle the dice results. I’ve got two ideas:

First Idea: The action’s difficulty tells the player how many d6 to roll. The harder the task, the more dice the player rolls. The dice are totaled. The total is compared to the character’s ability score relevant to the check. If the total is less than the ability score, the action succeeds. Or, if the total is less than or equal to the ability score, the action succeeds. Using this system, the elf’s -1d6 to ability checks to locate secret or concealed doors makes it easier for the elf to succeed.

Second Idea: The action’s difficulty tells the player how many successes are needed. Every even number counts as a success. Every odd number counts as a failure. The character’s ability modifier adds to the number of successes. Additional successes over the minimum needed may grant additional benefits. Using this system, the elf’s -1d6 for locating secret or concealed doors means the player gets to ignore one odd-numbered die, making it easier for the elf to succeed.

Right now, I like the first system because it’s straightforward. Roll X dice, total, and compare. But, also right now, I like the second system because it’s an opportunity to introduce mechanics that adjudicate degree of failure and degree of success. I enjoy other game systems that use these sorts of mechanics (such as Fate and Dungeon World).

In either case, retooling certain racial abilities to be a dice modifier fits.

Tags: B/X D&D, world-building