Spes Magna Games

While I am growing quite fond of OSRIC, and I remain quite fond of 1E AD&D, no game is perfect, even if the room for improvement amounts to little more than a preference for This rather than That. I didn’t start RPGs with AD&D. I started with the Basic D&D blue box, the rule book cover being depicted to the right.

In that version of D&D, humans were the only race that had a class. Humans could be cleric, fighters, magic-users, or thieves. On top of that, I could choose instead to be a dwarf, elf, or halfling. Dwarves, elves, and halflings didn’t have classes per se. Instead every dwarf and every halfling was very much like a fighter, and every elf was both a fighter and a magic-user. That was more choices in a slim book than the number of both UHF and VHF channel choices on the TV. What luxury!

I remain enamored of the race-as-class concept. My first D&D character was a dwarf. When we switched from Basic to Advanced, my dwarf came along for the ride. Since in Basic he’d been violent and larcenous, in Advanced he became a fighter/thief, but he firstly he was a dwarf. Fighting and stealing were means by which he expressed his dwarven-ness.

While reading OSRIC, jumping from section to section rather than progressing page by page in numerical order, the novelty of race-as-class returned. Could such a thing work in OSRIC? If so, how so? Well, I’ve already explained how I think ability score generation should go. Let’s now focus on dwarves, elves, and halflings, treating each race as a class. The other demihuman races could be treated in a similar manner.

When creating an OSRIC character, I might choose a race other than human. For the three that I’m focusing on, each class would be treated as a class/race combination but without me needing to worry about meeting the class ability score prerequisites. Instead, all I need do is meet the race minimums and maximums. Let’s review those:

Dwarf: STR 8/18, DEX 3/17, CON 12/19, INT and WIS 3/18, CHA 3/16

Elf: STR 3/18, DEX 7/19, CON 8/17, INT 8/18, WIS 3/18, CHA 8/18

Halfling: STR 6/17, DEX 8/19, CON 10/18, INT 6/18, WIS 3/17, CHA 3/18

Each race defaults to a specific class (or classes, in the case of an elf):

Dwarf & Halfling: Fighter.

Elf: Fighter/Magic-User.

(Nota Bene: Either an elf with an 8 Intelligence would be just a fighter since a minimum of a 9 Intelligence is needed for a magic-user to learn spells, or the DM could just treat an 8 Intelligence as a 9 Intelligence and keep the elf as a fighter/magic-user. I think I favor the latter option.)

For added variety, a demihuman might still multi-class. For example, a dwarf might be a dwarf/thief. In this case, the minimum prerequisites of the additional class would be in play. An elf would effectively add a third class, becoming, for example, an elf/cleric. Otherwise, each race would be treated as a either a single-classed fighter (dwarf or halfling) or a multi-classed fighter/magic-user (elf) in matters related to armor, weapons, level advancement, et cetera.

One campaign-level consequence of this idea is that the worst of human fighters would still be somewhat better than the worst dwarf. Due to my preferred ability score generation method, the lowest STR, DEX, WIS, and CHA scores a human fighter would have are 9, 6, 6, and 6, respectively. The dwarf would win out in Constitution, since the lowest Constitution a dwarf would have is 12 versus 7 for the human fighter. The same sort of thing happens when comparing the human fighter to the halfling.

A human magic-user compared to an elf lags behind in the minimums except for Intelligence, but the human magic-user is single-classed, whereas the elf technically has two classes and therefore must divide XP between fighter and magic-user. So, in many respects, the elf is the better magic-user, except for speed of advancement. When the human magic-user reaches 2nd level with 2400 XP, the elf is still 1st level with 1200 XP in fighter and 1200 XP in magic-user. By the time the elf hits 2nd level in both fighter and magic-user, the human magic-user has reached 3rd level.

And the lag would be even greater when comparing a human thief to dwarf/thief, halfling/thief, or elf/thief, especially in the last instance, since the elf would be dividing XP between three classes.

Tags: 1E AD&D, OSRIC

OSRIC starts the process of creating a character with ability scores. Some talk of methods for generating ability scores ensues. One can be “truly brutal” and roll 3d6 in order for the six scores. One can be less brutal, allowing scores to be arranged to suit player taste or allowing 4d6 (drop the lowest die result) instead of 3d6. Players familiar with AD&D likely recall the many different methods suggested in the rules.

As for me, I like players getting to play want they want to play. Once I joined a 2E AD&D group while stationed in Hawaii, and I really wanted to play a bard. I’d never played a 2E bard, and it looked interesting. So, I rolled the dice, and quickly realized that bard was not an option because I’d failed to generate a high enough Charisma. Bummer. So, I played a thief who wanted to be a bard, and spent his nonweapon proficiency slots accordingly. It was still fun, but it wasn’t really what I was looking for.

Should I decide to run OSRIC, this is the ability score method I’m leaning toward:

1. Pick a race and class. Note the minimum and maximum ability scores for both.
2. Roll 3d6 in order, assigning the results to the six ability scores.
3. Look at the race and class ability score notes. Anything that isn’t high enough, raise it to the minimum. Anything that is too high, lower it to the maximum.

So, what might this look like?

Well, let’s say I want to play a gnome illusionist, the illusionist part being a class notoriously hard to qualify for due to its high Dexterity and Intelligence minimums. I make note of the relevant mins and maxes:

Gnome Minimums/Maximums: STR 6/18, DEX 3/18, CON 8/18, INT 7/18, WIS 3/18, CHA 3/18
Illusionist Minimums: STR 6, DEX 16, INT 15, WIS 6, CHA 6

Next I roll 3d6 six times. These are the results:

Unadjusted Ability Scores: STR 12, DEX 10, CON 12, INT 8, WIS 7, CHA 8

I compare these results to the race and class requirements, changing them as indicated, to get these ability scores. I bold-faced the changes for ease of reference.

Adjusted Ability Scores: STR 12, DEX 16, CON 12, INT 15, WIS 7, CHA 8

Tada! I now have a gnome illusionist who, due to his Dexterity and Intelligence both being under 17, is currently limited to 5th level. Perhaps making him an illusionist/thief would be a good idea?

Tags: 1E AD&D, OSRIC

Well, once again, it’s been way too long since my last post. Pretend I’ve explained the usual excuses in the remainder of this paragraph.

Now check out the picture. Click to embiggen if you want.

That’s me gazing down in glee at my 386-page hardback copy of Black Blade Publishing‘s OSRIC, which stands for Old School Reference and Index Compilation. For the unwashed, OSRIC is 1E AD&D. Those 386 pages include 1E AD&D’s Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master’s Guide reborn as an Old School ruleset that’s been cleaned up, clarified, and presented anew.

There’s a lot of nifty stuff in OSRIC. For example, consider OSRIC’s take on infravision:

“Infravision is the ability to see in the dark and is common to almost all subterranean creatures.”

Notice what infravision is not: It’s not the ability to detect gradations of heat. Notice also that in dungeons and caverns, infravision is pretty much ubiquitous among the monsters the heroes will encounter. Sound great if you’re a subterranean creature, but infravision has its limits:

“Infravision cannot be used within the ambit of any light source.”

I love that it says “within the ambit”. It’s not often a gamebook sends me toward a dictionary. I know enough Latin to recognize that “ambit” is almost certainly a Latin verb, and etymonline.com confirms my thoughts. “Ambit” derives from ambire, meaning “to go around, go about”. Its modern meaning tends toward “the bounds or limits of a place or district”.

In addition to a range limit (usually 60 feet), “Infravision does not detect colours and is of little help while searching or making minute examinations, so sapient creatures such as orcs may well prefer torchlight even if they possess infravision.”

On the run from orcs through a subterranean fungus forest? Well, if the orcs are tracking you, the orcs need torchlight. Searching for traps on that sarcophagus or reading your spellbook? You need torchlight as well.

One of the unfortunate consequences of the more recent idea related to infravision as darkvision is that torchlight, et cetera, becomes unnecessary for most non-human creatures. For humans especially, the lack of darkvision turns into a huge liability as the light sources necessary for exploring otherwise lightless caverns turns into a huge warning signal for any enemies the humans might approach.

OSRIC’s simple description of infravision ameliorates that issue as well as disposing on one of my 1E AD&D pet peeves, namely players and DMs wrangling over gradations of heat and what is visible versus invisible as a result. If I never hear another discussion about whether or not lurking zombies are the same temperature as their surroundings and, therefore, invisible to infravision….

I’m still digesting OSRIC, biting off a bit here and there. So far, I really like it. It stays true to its 1E AD&D roots while at the same time appearing fresh, as if it were very much its own thing. I have a feeling running OSRIC waits somewhere in the near future, especially since the school year ends this coming Friday.

Ah, blessed summer vacation!

Tags: 1E AD&D, OSRIC, reviews

Over the past few days, I’ve tooled about a bit more with Green Ronin Publishing’s Mutants & Masterminds (M&M), which has a robust character creation system that so far has never failed to emulate whatever character concept I’ve come up with. (Caveat: Some character concepts, however, become problematic operating within a specific power point budget. If I’m like the government and just pretend budgets don’t matter, then even the sky’s not a limit.)

For example, I created Major Challenger, a Power Level 10 hero, who is an interdimensional astronaut who explored subatomic universes until his diminution device malfunctioned, trapping him on Earth as a 30-foot tall giant. Via the remaining functions of the diminution device, he can shrink down to one-sixth his normal size. Major Challenger is a “street legal” PL 10 character built with the standard budget of 150 power points. If you’d like to take a gander at Major Challenger, click here.

M&M can also be used to create specific effects that model a movie hero’s special abilities. Who can forget that time when Batman used his hypnotic dance skills to get the drop on King Tut and his goons? Don’t you wish your hero could do the Batusi? Of course you do.

The Batusi
Effect: Perception-Ranged, Concentration-Duration, Cumulative Affliction; Limited to Two Degrees with Instant Recovery. Cost: 2 points per rank.

You perform a stunning series of improvised but fascinating dance moves. Those able to see you get a Dodge resistance check. If successful, they suffer no effects from your dance (although that also means they can’t see you). Targets who see your dance must make a Will resistance check against your effect DC. One degree of failure renders a target entranced by your performance. Two degrees of failure makes the target helpless. In subsequent turns, if you take a standard action to continue dancing, targets who can see you must make new resistance checks. Those who watch your dance long enough likely end up defenseless due to the cumulative effects of your sweet moves. Affected targets recover at the end of the turn you stop dancing (no resistance check required).

Tags: Mutants & Masterminds, superhero games

Some games I at least think I’d enjoy playing more than I’d enjoy GMing. One of these games is Green Ronin Publishing’s Mutants & Masterminds (M&M). It has all the makings of a great game: a relatively simple system, a unified dice mechanic, point-based character creation, and (if you’re into that kind of thing) an everything-and-the-kitchen-sink core setting that clearly respects the genre. I love M&M more in theory than in practice, however.

Hero creation is M&M is a bit laborious (although pales in comparison to Champions and GURPS Supers). If one plays with folks that are either a bit spotty on their basic math skills and/or think superhero games are about building the do-it-all but never-gets-hurt character, then M&M can be frustrating. The frustration appears with players who don’t respect (or know) the genre and/or the parameters of the GM’s campaign. I’ve run into the latter more than once.

Years and years ago with people whom I no longer game with, I tried running an urban, four-color hero game. The hero’s were expected to be heroic. I thought I’d made this clear, but that didn’t stop one player from showing up with a murderous speedster who acquired and maintained his powers by stealing crack cocaine from the drug dealers that he killed. Another player showed with a teen-angst loner that frequently insisted on being a team of one.

Ug.

M&M’s first edition was a bit wonky, and much of this wonkiness was fixed with the second edition. M&M’s third edition, however, is even better. It retains the vestiges of its d20 System roots, even going so far as to change the standard six ability scores (STR, INT, WIS, DEX, CON, and CHA) to eight ability scores (Strength, Agility, Fighting, Awareness, Stamina, Dexterity, Intellect, and Presence). Green Ronin also tips their hat to TSR’s iconic Marvel Super Heroes (MSH) with color-coded Damage Resistance Matrix that evokes nicely MSH’s Universal Table.

Since it’s been a while since I made up a M&M villain, here’s a new one inspired by Boris Karloff. I used the Crime Lord from the M&M Gamemaster’s Guide as the base for the Monster.

Francis Stein, also known as the Monster, claims to have been created by the Doctor Victor Von Frankenstein in Ingolstadt, Bavaria. Abused and neglected for years, Stein escaped his evil creator and lived as a fugitive either in the wilderness or on the outskirts of society. Over the decades, Stein accumulated a remarkable education and impressive skills. Stein leveraged his education and skills, along with his superhuman physical abilities, into a career as a mob enforcer, rising through the ranks by a combination of cunning, violence, and longevity. Today, Stein dominates a criminal empire involved in extortion, gambling, and smuggling.

Francis Nathan Stein aka The Monster
Power Level 8

Strength 9, Stamina –, Agility 3, Dexterity 3, Fighting 7, Intellect 6, Awareness 5, Presence 6

Animated Corpse Powers:
Protection 9 [Cost: 1/rank, 9 points] (Extras: Impervious 8) [Cost: 1/rank, 8 points]
Immortality 5 [Cost: 2/rank, 10 points]
Immunity to Fortitude Effects 30 [Cost: 1/rank, 30 points]
Regeneration 10 [Cost: 1/rank, 10 points]

Advantages: All-Out Attack, Benefit (Status), Benefit 3 (Millionaire), Connected, Contacts, Daze (Deception), Equipment 9, Languages 2 (English, German, Russian, Spanish), Minions 10, Ranged Attack 4, Startle, Well-Informed

Skills: Deception 8 (+14), Expertise: Business 7 (+13), Expertise: Law 8 (+14), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+14), Insight 10 (+15), Investigation 6 (+12), Intimidation 8 (+14), Perception 4 (+9), Persuasion 8 (+14), Technology 6 (+12), Vehicles 5 (+8)

Offense: Initiative +3, Unarmed +7 (Close, Damage 9)

Defense: Dodge 8, Parry 7, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 9, Will 8

Complications: Honor (personal criminal code), Temper (when defied or challenged)

Motivation & Justification: Revenge (for maltreatment) & Entitlement (taking what should have been his)

Power Point Totals: Abilities 68 + Powers 67 + Advantages 35 + Skills 39 + Defenses 8 = 217

Tags: Mutants & Masterminds, superhero games, supervillains