Author Topic: Interest check in old-school D&D game  (Read 16762 times)

Offline Libertad

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Re: Interest check in old-school D&D game
« Reply #60 on: April 24, 2014, 12:46:45 AM »
These rules are more confusing than I thought, and I don't have a lot of time right now to learn a new system, I think I'm going to have to bow out. I'm sorry about that.

It's alright.  Sorry if I overwhelmed you.

@oslecamo, Raineh Daze, & FlaminCows: I think that the rest of us can go forward with just 3 people.  What do you all think?

Offline zook1shoe

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Re: Interest check in old-school D&D game
« Reply #61 on: April 24, 2014, 01:25:43 AM »
Its not your fault, its mine for not reading more into the info
« Last Edit: April 24, 2014, 01:31:10 AM by zook1shoe »
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Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: Interest check in old-school D&D game
« Reply #62 on: April 24, 2014, 09:28:32 AM »
It can go forward, sure. So long as we aren't supposed to rely on sneaky-type stuff to get anything done. XD

Offline FlaminCows

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Re: Interest check in old-school D&D game
« Reply #63 on: April 24, 2014, 03:37:36 PM »
I think I'll be bowing out too, for different reasons. I have thought about it, and I've decided that I am not actually interested in an OSR campaign after all. Sorry about that.

Offline oslecamo

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Re: Interest check in old-school D&D game
« Reply #64 on: April 24, 2014, 05:48:05 PM »
I'm still all up for it, even if just two of us.
« Last Edit: April 24, 2014, 05:49:55 PM by oslecamo »

Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: Interest check in old-school D&D game
« Reply #65 on: April 24, 2014, 05:58:01 PM »
Elf and inexplicably androgynous swordsman? Seems like a good start for a comedy. XD

Offline Libertad

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Re: Interest check in old-school D&D game
« Reply #66 on: April 24, 2014, 11:12:49 PM »
2 PCs is on the low side.  Especially in LotFP, where even a full party might face the death of at least 1.

There's a free supplement called Black Streams: Solo Heroes made for OSR games meant to be used for 1-on-1 gaming.  Or with 2 PCs at most.

Basically it's a collection of 4 house rules meant to increase a solo PC's chances of success in traditional old-school adventures.  In t modifies the damage system so that PCs take less and enemies take more, damage from a defeated mook can carry over to other enemies,  allows PCs to heal hit point damage with bandages between combat, and grants each class a Fray Die which is automatic damage to an enemy in combat each round (even if the PC is doing other stuff, representing quick strikes and counter-attacks and minor spells going off).

It should lay over the standard rules with no problems.  How does that sound?

If you don't have a Drive-Thru account, I can upload it on Google Docs (it's free, so that should pose no problems) or copy-paste it here.

Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: Interest check in old-school D&D game
« Reply #67 on: April 24, 2014, 11:14:01 PM »
Don't have an account there, no.

Seems handy if we're down to just the two of us, so... yeah, would probably be useful. :lmao

Offline oslecamo

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Re: Interest check in old-school D&D game
« Reply #68 on: April 25, 2014, 08:15:31 PM »
Sounds a great plan to me, upload to google docs would save me the trouble of making a proxy account for dling.

Offline Libertad

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Re: Interest check in old-school D&D game
« Reply #69 on: April 25, 2014, 08:51:27 PM »
Actually the first half of the book is just the rules, second half is the adventure.  The first half is available as a preview you can read for free on Drive-Thru by clicking the "preview" button.

This would be ideal, as Drive-Thru purchases show your real name and order number, and for such reasons I don't want to do that.  Sorry, I just remembered.

Otherwise I can copy-paste it here:

Quote
The First Rule: Damage Dice

For a solo hero game, all damage dice are read in a different way.  Instead of their full face value, each die does damage based on the roll; a roll of 1 does no damage, a roll of 2-5 does one point of damage, and a roll of 6 or more does two points of damage. If there is a modifier to the damage applied by strength or magic, the modifier can be applied to any single die in the damage roll.

Thus, someone wielding a dread goreaxe +1 with a +1 Strength bonus to damage would roll the axe’s base 2d6 damage dice and add 2 to the die of his choice. If the final results were then 5 and 6, the hit would do 3 points of damage in total. A magic-user with a -1 Strength penalty flailing away with his dagger would roll 1d4 and subtract 1 from the total. If his net result is 0 or 1, then his blow does no damage at all. A hero swinging a poleaxe with no modifiers would roll 1d10 and have a much better chance of inflicting 2 points of damage than the warrior slashing with a short sword that does 1d6.

These damage dice rules are used for all effects that inflict a random range of damage on a victim. Fireballs, falls, arrow traps, falling rocks, and anything else that rolls dice of damage will use the interpretation of those rolls given above.

If an effect does a flat amount of damage, then one point of damage is done for each three full points given in the text. Thus, if the adventure states that touching a cursed bronze statue automatically inflicts 10 points of electrical damage on the blasphemer, only 3 points of damage are done to the luckless hero. Caltrops that automatically inflict 1 point of damage on those who cross them round down to zero, being too trivial a danger to threaten a lone adventurer.


Quote
The Second Rule: Inflicting Damage

Damage received by PCs is taken off their hit points as normal. If a fighter with 6 hit points is struck by an orc’s spear, the orc rolls 1d6. If a 4 is the result, for example, then one point of damage is done and the lone fighter has 5 hit points left. Damage received by NPCs counts as a full hit die for each point. Thus, if that same orc is hit by the fighter’s sword and a 3 is rolled on the damage dice, one full hit die of damage is done to the orc. Since the orc is only a 1 hit die creature to begin with, it falls dead, skewered by the blade of its foe. Monster hit dice are rounded to the nearest whole number. Thus, creatures with ½ hit dice, 1-1 hit dice, and 1+2 hit dice all count as 1 hit die creatures. High-level NPCs are assumed to have hit dice equal to their levels.

When fighting enemies of equal or lesser hit dice, the PC can roll a fray die representing their mighty hewing, punching, kicking, biting, object-hurling, and other assorted fisticuffs or short-ranged combat spells delivered toward an enemy that does not clearly outclass them in skill. This is a separate 1d6 that can be rolled once per round. This die always does damage regardless of the hit roll, so it is best to use a die of some different color than the others so it can be easily identified. The damage from a fray die can only be inflicted on foes with equal or fewer hit dice than the hero- more experienced enemies are just too canny to be maimed without a focused attack.

At the GM’s discretion, particularly unmartial PCs might only roll 1d4 for their fray die, while iron-thewed barbarians might roll 1d8, 1d10, or even 1d12 for particularly ferocious warriors. A hero who wishes to do something other than making an attack roll in a round can still roll their fray die against any foes within reach, representing the murder they might be wreaking incidental to their other activities.

If enough damage is done to a monster to kill it, the PC can spend the rest of the damage injuring any other foe within range of equal or worse armor class. For example, an armored hobgoblin priest and his bodyguard of goblin warriors sets upon a hero. The hero swings his halberd against a goblin and hits for 2 points of damage. He also rolls his fray die of 1d6, and which does an additional point of damage that does not require a hit roll to land. Goblins only have one hit die, so his flailing fray strikes down one of them. The hero then spends the remaining 2 points of axe damage chopping up another two goblins. He cannot spend the halberd damage on the hobgoblin priest, because the priest has a better armor class than the foe he struck with his attack. Likewise, if one of the goblins was perched up on a balcony or shooting from across an open field, it would be too far away from the melee to be threatened by the warrior’s halberd or fray die.

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The Third Rule: Healing

Healing dice and effects work perfectly normally on a PC, healing their listed number of hit points. When applied to NPCs and monsters, the healing dice are treated just if they were “reversed” damage dice, healing as many hit dice of injury as they would have inflicted points of damage.

After every fight or occasion of injury, a solo hero can take five minutes to bandage their cuts and catch their breath. This first aid will cure up to two points of damage, though it will not heal them above their total before the combat or injury.

Some GMs may be uncomfortable with this rule, as it makes healing magic much more efficient than damaging attacks. This is intentional, as even with the modified rule for damage the PC is likely to be suffering a great many hits if they intend to take on an adventure single-handedly. They need to be able to replenish their hit points if they are going to stand up to the steady drain, and that means surviving on such healing potions, scrolls, or sheltered rest that they can obtain. Cleric PCs have a large advantage in this regard, however, and the GM might decide to make their healing dice behave as reversed damage dice.


Quote
The Fourth Rule: Dodging Doom

Any time the hero is confronted by a failed saving throw against a death spell, a sleep-murdering assassin, a withering energy drain, an inescapable snare, a hopeless situation or an insurmountable barrier, they may choose to dodge doom. This lucky evasion lets them escape the effects of their calamitous situation, bypass an otherwise unavoidable condition, or get past barriers that would stop them cold, though it dangerously taxes their reserves of good fortune.

When a PC dodges doom, they suffer one damage die for every level they possess. The first time they dodge doom during a game session, they roll 1d4 for each level. The next time, they roll 1d6, then 1d8, and then 1d10 for each further attempt to dodge their fate. If the damage inflicted by this taxing of their luck would reduce them to 0 hit points, they are instead left at 1 hit point and whatever doom they were trying to slip affects them normally.

It is up to the GM to decide what situations and negative effects can be dodged. When combat is dodged, it usually means the PC has successfully fled an otherwise inescapable situation. When some arcane barrier is overcome by a PC with no access to Dispel magic, it might mean the hero recognizes the ward and knows how to spoil its effect. When a furious mob that has caught the hero in an alleyway is dodged, it might mean some local official is an old friend and rides in to disperse the crowd. The GM is the final arbiter of what can be evaded and the form that evasion takes.

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The Fifth Rule: Experience and Henchmen

A lone hero earns only a quarter of the normal experience points for their deeds, reflecting the fact that they have fewer hands to divide the treasure.

Henchmen and retainers can be employed as normal, but they are treated as monsters for purposes of combat damage. A minion with 1 hit die is slain by one point of damage.

GMs should feel no particular obligation to send henchmen along with a solo adventurer. The extra bodies to soak up monster attacks aren’t as crucial with these rules, and it can prove cumbersome to keep track of them all. In the same vein, GMs should be careful about including more than one PC in an adventure when using these rules- they might turn out to be far more fearsome than the adventure expected of its heroes.


TL;DR When rolling damage dice (against opponents or yourself), count each die separately.  A result of 1 on the die is no damage, 2-5 1 point of damage, 6-9 2 points of damage, et cetera.  So a 2d6 sword might do anywhere from 0 to 4 points of damage.  As for monsters and NPCs, their hit points are always equal to their hit die.  Excess damage carries over to other opponents within range of an equal or worse AC.

Also, Fray Dice can be used once per round to inflict automatic damage on opponents of an equal or worse Hit Die than the PC to represent mook-killing abilities.  The Fray Die is higher for the more martial classes.  Fighters get 1d8, Elves get 1d6.  It can be used even if the PC does not make an attack that round.

Additionally, PCs can take 5 minutes after combat to bandage their wounds and heal 2 hit points worth of damage.

Dodging Doom allows you to negate the effects of Save-Or-Die esque attacks or plot-stopping conundrums by risking hit points.  You can use it as many times as you want in an adventure, but the damage risked becomes greater each time.

Finally, you both gain 1/4th the normal experience you'd otherwise get due to being more powerful.  As 1/8th would slow progression to a glacial crawl, you both get 1/2th experience instead, which is split between the two of you.

Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: Interest check in old-school D&D game
« Reply #70 on: April 25, 2014, 08:59:37 PM »
Well, this will certainly seem more pulp-y. :O

Somehow I get the feeling we need to corroborate more on why exactly an elf and wandering swordsman are together. XD