1

(0 replies, posted in LotFP Gaming Forum)

When Playing a Pirate adventure, I had the players come up with their own carousing results. Here they are:

Carousing Table

1 - You become lovers with a mermaid or merman. At the start of every session, save vs Paralyzation or you are -1 to hit (naval sex is exhausting). If you fall into the sea, there is a 5-in-6 chance your lover saves you from drowning.
2 - You wake up with a treasure map tattooed on your body. Roll d6 for location: 1 butt cheek, 2 forehead, 3 shoulder blade, 4 back of the head, 5 “tramp stamp”, 6 chest. The Referee secretly rolls two d6’s. The first d6 shows if the place is marked correctly on the map (1-2 yes, 3-6 no). The second d6 defines the treasure (1 pirate booty, 2 ancient prehistoric artifact, 3 time-capsule from the future, 4-6 already taken).
3 - You are now wanted by the Royal Navy. Your portrait (50% chance it actually looks like you) is plastered on walls in all ports, inns, even some villages. Trouble with the authority, but “street cred” with anti-establishment types.
4 - You gamble with the Devil. Both you and the Referee roll 2d6. Lower number wins. If you lose, the Devil collects your soul upon your death (you are marked as the Devil’s own while alive, -2 on Reaction from children, sensitives and animals). If you win, you get a gold-plated violin. If the Devil rolls snake-eyes, he takes your soul instantly and leaves you a soulless zombie. If you roll snake-eyes, the Devil is bound to serve you for one day at a time you summon him.
5 - You befriend a pack of rats. They warn you if the ship you are on is about to sink. On the flip side, you now always smell of rat piss.
6 - Take a card from the Deck of Weird Things. Before reading it, designate a PC or NPC as the receiver of the card’s effect. You cannot receive it yourself.
7 - One of your body parts gets stuck in a giant clam, you cannot get it out until the end of the session. Roll d6: 1 right hand, 2 left hand, 3 right leg, 4 left leg, 5 nose, 6 [redacted].
8 - You take part in a coconut throwing contest. Make a series of ranged attack rolls. The first roll is against AC 12, then AC 14, 16, 18… Keep going as long as you hit, and count the hits. At the end, you gain 100 sp for every hit. However, if you miss the first round (vs AC 12), you are ridiculed and unable to use ranged attacks this session.
9 - You get a terrible “hangover”. Which actually means that you wake up hanging over an active volcano or a tribe’s cooking fire. Save vs Paralyze to break free, on a failure take d8 damage.
10 - You anger the gods. There is a terrible thunderstorm, lasting d4 days.
11  - You frolic by the sea, and see a beautiful mermaid beckoning to you. Roll a Charisma save to see if she gives you a pearl worth d4 gp.
11 - A madman goes through a monologue about how much you have insulted the sea. He looks like William deFoe. Make a Magic save or be attacked by sea life for the rest of the session.
13  - You wake up with a terrible hangover, but you find a treasure map at the bottom of the bottle of rum.
14 - during your excursion, for vague and nondescript reasons you found yourself waking up next to a total stranger of your preferred gender and pronouns, who now needs a lift home. They are a: (1) clown from the circus Maximus (2) a soldier from Port Emerald (3) a pirate from the cove (4) a tribesmen from monkey spine island. The NPC has 1HP and a moral of 3. If the npc dies or takes too long before reaching home, a group of the npc’s friends (1d4+1 lvl one fighters) will track you down, seeking answers and possibly… revenge!
15 -  During your carousing, for vague and nondescript you find yourself waking up next to a stranger, unable to recalls the details of the night before. They claim that they sell their time and now, my friend, it’s time to pay. Roll 1d6: (1) Though they are polite about it, they found the time spent with you was unpleasant and annoying. Double carousing cost and gain half as much XP (2) Neither of you can remember the specifics of your engagement, and they happily depart with a wink and a smile. (no effect)(3) A mutually beneficial transaction occurs. Double carousing cost and XP amount. (4) Tell the group why you paid for this person for their time. Make an attribute check related to this. On a success, your performance was inspiring! Your carousing cost is covered, and the NPC pays YOU this amount for a great time! On a failure, your performance was lackluster at best and left much to be desired. Triple carousing cost. Your reputation with the locals decreases and you get a -1 to cha checks in this town. (5) your time was well spent, and fills you with vigor. Heal an additional 1d6 hit points from the nights rest. If at full, gain 1D4 temporary hit points that last 24 hrs. (6) This was the most amazing experience of this NPC’s life. Unbeknownst to you, they gain a powerful and unhealthy obsession with you and begin to stalk you. They will be seen around most places you go, and will be extremely dodgy explaining why they are there……They refuse to join your group, but always seem to show up at random times, looking guilty and nervous. In your darkest hour, when you are brought down to 0 hp, if at all possible the npc will appear as if by magic from out of the shadows, behind a tree, or almost thin air to catch the killing blow for you and save your life. Amongst their possessions is a journal filled with mad scribblings of love poetry along with a charm person scroll.



16  - You frolic by the sea, and see a beautiful mermaid beckoning to you. Roll a Charisma save to see if she gives you a pearl worth d4 gp.
17  - A madman goes through a monologue about how much you have insulted the sea. He looks like William deFoe. Make a Magic save or be attacked by sealife for the rest of the session.
18 - You are approached by none other than the great Poseidon, who makes lewd advances at you. If you agree, you wake up with a painful bum. If you disagree, you are turned to an sentient horse for the rest of the session if you fail a Magic save.
19 - You wake up with a terrible hangover, but you find a treasure map at the bottom of the bottle of rum.
20 - You get in a game of chance with several salty men, and fortune favors you. You win a map to "A Sea hand's Stash". The "map" is a 2x2 piece of parchment, with nothing save for one giant X. When placed on the ground and struck with a shovel however, you are greeted with the satisfying "Thunk!" of buried treasure. roll 1d6: 1) the "map" tears away to reveal a wooden crate containing 2d6 rations 2) the "map" tears away to reveal a wooden crate containing 2d6 bottles of high quality rum and 1d2 low quality ones. 3) the "map" tears away to reveal a wooden crate containing 5d100 SP 4) the "map" tears away to reveal a wooden crate containing a high quality rapier, a 12 apostles , and 2 dueling pistols 5) the "map" tears away to reveal a wooden crate containing pamphlets and propaganda praising Britain and the King 6) The "map" does not tear away. The "map" can be used 1/day to dig up (and re-bury) "A Sea hand’s Stash". The stash is a 2x2x3' empty wooden crate that the user can fill and unload as they see fit. Food placed in the stash always comes out fresh (tasting HEAVILY of salt) and water is turned into Grog. The stash cannot be removed from the ground by any mortal means, and the map can be placed on any 5x5x5' patch of dry land.
21 - You fall in love with a beautiful person. Turns out, it’s a ship’s figurehead. The love is still real and now you want to steal the statue from its place.
22 - You are challenged to a duel over something absolutely stupid (like preferring rum and coke over rum and gunpowder). Roll d6, the fight is: 1 to the death, 2-4 to the first blood, 5-6 to disarming. You are too drunk to gauge your opponent’s skill, but they might be lower or higher level than you. If you refuse, you are a coward and Reactions to you are at -2 in this town. If you agree, roll initiative and fight the challenger (Fighter [carousing character’s level+2-d4], AC 14).
23 - You insulted one parrot, so from now on, all parrots always insult you in the filthiest way possible. This also means that NPCs with parrots on their shoulder dislike you (-2 on Reaction rolls).
24 -  Pirate prosthetic… Roll d6, 1-2 hook hand (-2 on melee attacks), 3-4 peg leg (counts as a full point of Encumbrance), 5-6 eyepatch (-2 on ranged attacks). Re-roll your hit dice and take the new result if it is lower than your current hit point total.

2

(6 replies, posted in LotFP Gaming Forum)

I saw somewhere that there is some advantage that Musket has over an arquebus. But I can't find it. Muskets are a lot more encumbering and have the same range and damage. Why would you want a musket?

3

(0 replies, posted in LotFP Gaming Forum)

Here are some alternative rules to govern Ship to Ship combat. The numbers listed for Speed in Rules & Magic on page 43 take into account the shape of the ship, the number of sails and how maneuverable it its. It is an average speed for daily travel. When doing combat. The speed is variable based on the wind speed. For ease of plotting movement. Counters can be used with a hexagonal grid, with each hex equalling 500 feet.
For Rowing, a boat or ship can be rowed one hex per round for long periods. It can be rowed 2 hexes per round for 10 rounds before having to rest by rowing 1 Hex per round for 10 rounds. It can be rowed 3 hexes per round for 5 rounds before having to rest by not rowing at all for 10 rounds. If a ship has sails and is rowing with the wind, rowing speed can be added to sailing speed.
When Sailing, square sails only work for going with the wind. The Wind Speed is 1d6 rolled by the Referee each round. Windspeed is the same for all ships.
Triangular sails are need to sail against the wind and give the ship maneuverability. A certain amount of crew is need to sail a ship. And by doubling the crew working the sails, the maneuverability of the Ship can be increased by one category. This is called having the ship “Topped Out” and it is obvious at a glance when this has been done to a ship. Maneuverability is measured in Classes which is designated Maneuverability Class or MC, which is measured on a scale of A to G

A = Ship can make 180° turns without using any of it’s movement rate
B or C = Ship can make 60° turns in one round, before moving forward one Hex.
D or E = Ship can make 30° turns in one round, before moving forward one Hex.
F = Ship must move forward one Hex before turning 30°.
G = Ship unable to make turns at all.

A ships needs it’s full crew and Hit Points in order to have its’ listed MC. If a damaged ship  has at least half the crew and half the Hit Points the ship is one MC worse. If the ship has between 1/4 and 1/2 its’ Crew or Hit Points it is two MC worse. It the Ship has less than 1/4 its’ crew or Hit points, it is 3 MC worse.

Cannon may be placed on a ship.
Each Ship's Cannon uses one ton of the ship's cargo space. (this does not include the powder) Half of the cannons will be on each side of the ship. 
A Ship's Cannon requires a barrel of gunpowder per firing and does 1d24 Ship's Hit Points of damage to the target ship. A Natural 20 is required to hit individual targets. 
Rate of fire is based on the number of crewmen assigned to the cannon. These are in addition to the crew required to sail the ship. 
4 crewmen = 1/10 rounds 
3 crewmen = 1/20 rounds
2 crewmen = 1/30 rounds
1 crewman = 1/40 rounds


Ships            Crew        MC        Rowing    Cannon
Raft                      1        F        1-3        0
Canoe                  1        A        1-3        0
Lifeboat                  1        B        1-3        0
Trireme               170        F        1-3        0
Quadrireme              170        F        1-3        0
Longship                 75        D        1-3        0
River Galley             20        D        1-3        0
Riverboat                 16        D        1-3        0
Sailboat                   1        B                0
Cog                     20        E                2
Caravel                 35        D                4
Carrack                 82        E                6
Galleon               150        E                20
Cutter                 20        D                4
Brig                     45        D                8
Corvette                 84        C                10
Frigate                 84        D                12

Character classes Allowed in Veins of the Earth: All classes from Rules and Magic for surface dwellers plus the local race.

Amazons - Like in Frostbitten and Mutilated except instead of rolling for abilities at first level they get: Frazetta Armor and Damage dice with the shortbow have a number of extra sides equal to Dex bonus. Ancient Greek is their native language. Their Alignment is always Chaotic. Their Priestesses are Druidesses

Barbarians - Like Amazons in Frostbitten and Mutilated except instead of rolling for abilities at first level they get: Can add their Wisdom bonus to AC if unarmored except for helmet or shield. Have an oversized Barbarian Weapon (in the form of a Great Sword, Axe or Club) that they can wield, one-handed. Damage for a Barbarian Weapon is 1d8 plus a number of extra sides equal to STR bonus. All Barbarians are male. Ancient Greek is their native language. Their Alignment is always Chaotic.

Gnonmen - Like Halflings except Infravision is 120' in up to Level 3 Darkness. And they are skilled in Swimming, instead of Bushcraft and 5 in 6 in Climbing, instead of Hiding.

dERoS
dERos physically resemble Dwarfs. They roll their attributes 3d6 six times IN ORDER. No switching or adjustment allowed.
dERoS roll Saves, initiative, skills, and Hit Dice as in the EC Playtest Notes.
4 of their initial Skill points must be spent on Tinker. Any remaining may be spent as the player choses. dERoS begin play with a number of rolls on the effects chart equal to their HD size and gain one more per level.
The Rapture will never stop encountering them.
They begin with Madman Equipment.
dERoS have infravision that reaches a number of feet equal to their WIS score x ten and works in 1d4 level darkness.
If a dERoS fails a save against an illusion spell, after the spell "expires" it will continue to exist as a sentient entity for the dERoS. Roll a reaction to see whether the illusion harasses the dERoS or becomes an ally. dERoS that meet each other can fail a Save vs Spell to determine if they can see each other's illusions.
Dvargir - Like Dwarfs, except Infravision is 120' in up to Level 3 Darkness. Archetecture Skill can be used for Climbing cave walls.

Fungoids (Mushroom Men) - Have no sense of smell, are immune to all poisons, "breathe" through the undersides of their caps, Do not defecate or urinate, but instead, vomit their waste several times a day, Can not eat cooked food. Prefer to eat rotting flesh or plant matter, do not have individual fingers or opposable thumbs. Their HD size is randomly rolled each level. They gain a patch of random coloration each level. Eating part of the coloured patch of the Mushroom Man grants powers but causes 1d6 damage to the Character, 1d4 if he eats himself.

Aelf-Adal - This is an alternate version of the Elf Class. Aelf Adal make saving throws as LotFP standard Elves. Like all other characters, except Fighters, Aelf-Adal start with a +1 bonus to attack rolls. This increases by +1 per level. But their total attack bonus, including strength, dexterity, magical bonuses and situational modifiers can never exceed +7.
They can cast Magic User spells and cast without risk a number of spells per day equal to their level. They must have one hand free in order to cast spells. Their spellbook begins with three 1st level spells and one 2nd level spell. Aelf-Adal can not cast from memory spells higher than 5th level. But they may write higher level spells in their spellbook and create scrolls or potions of them.
Aelf-Adal can perform the Search Skill like standard LotFP Elves.
Aelf-Adal can cast spells in any armor, including Full Plate Armor. But armor still counts for encumbrance purposes.
Aelf-Adal are normally only surprised on a 1 in 6. If wearing non-metal armor and at least 90’ from anyone else, Aelf-Adal Surprise others 4 in 6 of the time.
Aelf-Adal have 120’ Infravision that allows them to see in up to level 2 darkness.
Aelf-Adal require the following XP to level up:
Level XP HP
1         0 1d6
2  4,500 +1d6
3  9,000 +1d6
4  18,000 +1d6
5  40,500 +1d6
6  75,000 +1d6
7  130,000 +1d6
8  215,000 +1d6
9  385,000 +1d6
10      750,000 +2**
11  1,125,000 +2**
12   1,500,000 +2**
13   1,375,000 +2**
14  1,750,000 +2**
15  2,125,000 +2**
16  2,500,000 +2**
17  2,875,000 +2**
18   3,250,000 +2**
19  3,625,000 +2**
20   4,240,000 +2**

Olm - are blind amphibious salamander-men. Their movement rate is doubled in the water. They swim 6 in 6 and can hold their breath when awake, a number of of hours equal to their constitution score. They can sleep underwater for a number of centuries equal to their constitution score. But if wakened, must eat before they can go back to sleep. On land their AC is 12 but in water their AC is as Plate (AC17).
Although blind, their sense of touch allows them to feel the air well enough that they do not suffer a -4 penalty to hit with melee weapons while on land, and in water, they can "feel" man-size creatures as well as a human with light can see up to 60 feet.  Large creatures and underwater terrain features can be felt up to 120 feet away. Gargantuan creatures (whale sized or bigger) and waterfalls can be felt up to 180 feet away. (But waterfalls can be heard long before the Olm can feel it.) Olm can not benefit from a light source.
Olm climb 5 in 6.
Olm prefer waterproof weapons of Stone or bone. Clubs, picks and Shortswords are common. Great Warriors have weapons made from water creatures they have slain. They may use shields.
Olm are halfling sized. They make a point of never smelling of anything. Olm do not understand time in the same way shorter lived creatures do.
Olm gain experience, hit points and save as specialists.
Their Main Attribute is Constitution and their Favored Attribute is Wisdom.
Naiads are treated as Priestesses by the Olm

Svirfnebli - Are short, Deep-dwelling, Humanoids that look similar to Halflings and Gnonmen. Svirfnebli make Saving Throws as LotFP standard Dwarves. Their Main Attribute is Dexterity  and their Favoured  Attribute is Intelligence. Like all other characters, except Fighters, Svirfnebli start with a +1 bonus to attack rolls. This increases by +1 per level. But their total attack bonus, including strength, dexterity, magical bonuses and situational modifiers can never exceed +6.
They can cast (1st ed) AD&D illusionist spells and cast without risk a number of spells per day equal to their level. They must have one hand free in order to cast spells. For the GDQ series, Their spellbook begins with Blindness, Blur, Change Self and  four 1st level spells, one 2nd level spell, two 3rd level spells and one 4th level spell. The Svirfnebli starts with a scroll of their 4th level spell.) Svirfnebli  can not cast from memory spells higher than 3rd level. But they may write higher level spells in their spellbook and create scrolls or potions of them. (or risky cast them)
Svirfnebli  can cast spells in any armor, including Full Plate Armor. But armor still counts for encumbrance purposes.
Svirfnebli   have 120’ Infravision that allows them to see in up to level 3 darkness and 30' Ultravision.
Svirfnebli of 6+ level have a 50% chance of summoning an Earth Elemental, once per day, which must  be paid in gems and is 90% likely to be hostile.
Svirfnebli  have a permanent Non-Detection spell on them.
1-4th level Svirfnebli are +2 to hit with darts.
Svirfnebli can Climb as well as a Dwarf can do Architecture.
Svirfnebli can Hide 4 in 6 as long as they are not moving and can remain motionless for long periods of time. (a number of Minutes equal to their constitution x5)
Svirfnebli are only Surprised 1 in 12 if not using a light and surprise others 9 in 10 unless their opponent has a light source and they do not.
Svirfnebli have their own language which is understood 4 in 6 by people who already know the languages of Gnonmen, dErOs, or Gnomes. Most Svirfnebli know the Silent Language and the language of the Substratals. And they have a 3 in 6 chance to know Kuo-Taon or Drow. (These probabilities do not include Int bonuses)

Svirfnebli require the following XP to level up:


Level XP HP
1         0  1d6
2            4,250        +1d6
3            8,500        +1d6
4            17,000        +1d6
5            36,000        +1d6
6            70,000        +1d6
7            130,000    +1d6
8            220,000        +1d6
9            395,000        +1d6
10          720,000        +2
11         1,190,000        +2
12        1,660,000        +2
13        2,130,000        +2
14        2,600,000        +2
15        3,070,000        +2
16        3,540,000        +2
17        4,010,000        +2
18        4,480,000        +2
19        4,950,000        +2
20        5,420,000        +2

Kuo-Tao Clerics of Lobstrology have thick skin, giving them an AC of 17. They have 60' infravision that allows them to see in up to level 2 darkness, but in sunlight, above the surface of the water they are -2 to hit. They can breath underwater. They have d6 Hit dice.
They have a new skill called: Disguise. A 1st level Kuo-Tao Clerics of Lobstrology has a 2 in 6 chance of successfully disguising themselves as nobody important.
Kuo-Tao Clerics of Lobstrology can Set traps like a specialist with the Tinker skill. 1st level Kuo-Tao Clerics of Lobsterism have a 2 in 6 chance of successfully setting a trap.
If an Kuo-Tao Clerics of Lobstrology Surprises an opponent, they may attempt to assassinate that opponent. If the assassination attempt fails, they may still roll to see if the attempt succeeds conventionally.
Kuo-Tao Clerics of Lobstrology can do double damage with Sneak Attacks at 1st level.
starting at 3rd level, a Kuo-Tao Cleric of Lobstrology can improve their skills just like a Specialist. They already have two pips each on Disguise, Tinker and Sneak attack. In addition they have 4 more pips to spend on any skill the Kuo-Tao Cleric of Lobsterism chooses.The Kuo-Tao Cleric of Lobstrology gains 4 more pips at 4th level and again at 5th level. Starting a 6th level, the Kuo-Tao Cleric of Lobstrology gains 2 pips per level.
They can cast Cleric Spells like a Cleric of the same level.
Level    XP                    HD    save: Paralyze    Poison    Breath    Device  Magic
1            0                       1d6               13                13            16        14            15
2            3,250                +1d6            13                13            16        14            15
3            6,500                +1d6             13                13            16        14           15
4          13,000                +1d6              12                13            16        13          14
5          26,000                +1d6               12                12            15        13         14
6          53,000                +1d6                12                12            15        13         14
7        106,000                +1d6                11                12            15        12         13
8        212,000                +1d6                11                12             15        12         13
9        424,000                +1d6                10                11            14          11         12
10    636,000                +2*                    10                11             14           11        12
11    873,000                +2*                    10                11              14            10        11
12  1,135,000                +2*                    10                11             14            10         11
13  1,422,000            +2*                     9                10              13            9          10
14  1,784,000            +2*                    9                10                13            9         10
15 2,396,000            +2*                    9                10                13            9          10
16 3,228,000            +2*                    7                4                    10            8          9
17 3,340,000            +2*                    7                4                    10            8           9
18 3,452,000            +2*                    6                3                    9            7            8
19 3,554,000            +2*                    5                2                    8            6            7
20 3,886,000            +2*                    4                2                    7             4            5

5

(2 replies, posted in LotFP Gaming Forum)

I have not finished it. and probably won't share it until my players have searched a few bodies.

6

(2 replies, posted in LotFP Gaming Forum)

Has anyone made a "I search the body" chart that is customised for the English Civil War or 30 years war? (I would rather alter an already invented wheel than make my own)

Dwarves could easily be re-skinned as a Pikeman Class.
Halflings could easily be turned into a Poacher/Fronteersman Class.

8

(4 replies, posted in LotFP Gaming Forum)

if I could just get a digital copy in black and white of the inside cover of Rules and Magic, I could print that on yardstick to be my screen.

9

(1 replies, posted in LotFP Gaming Forum)

I love the weird new magic system! But most spells don't have a miscast chart for 1-6. I have not made one for each spell, but I have made them for schools of magic. So when a player miscasts, I look at what school their spell falls under and roll on the appropriate table.
Here they are:

Alteration/transmutation
1) illusion - caster and friends present believe the spell was successful
2) Target is polymorphed into same race as caster.
3) Caster is polymorphed into same race as target.
4) Caster is polymorphed into same appearance as Target
5) Random foe is target
6) Random Friend is target
7+ as in VAM

Divination
1) There is no information to obtain
2) Opposite Information
3) False information
4) Accurate information about something else.
5) Caster Experiences the Rapture
6) a torrent of true information delivered rapid fire about everything.
7+ as in VAM

Enchantment/Charm
1) Spell affects 1/2 HD as normal
2) Spell affects Random foe
3) Spell affects Random friend
4) Spell affects Caster
5) illusion - caster and Friends believe the spell worked
6) Spell reversed
7+ as in VAM

Evocation
1) Cast at 1/2 level.
2) Random Foe is target
3) Random Friend is Target
4) Caster is target
5) Cast at 2x level
6) Cast a 10x Level.
7+ As in VAM

illusion
1) illusion appears to have failed, but only to the caster
2) illusion succeeds, but only for the caster.
3) illusion appears, but only for the caster and harasses the caster, preventing dispelling, spell casting or concentration until sleep is gained.
4) illusion appears, but only for the caster and is sentient. It speaks in a language the illusionist understands. The illusionist is often seen conversing with this illusion than no one else can see. It takes up a retainer spot. It can also betray you . . .
5) The illusion appears, and is a solid, sentient, creature with HD equal to the illusionist's level. It attacks the illusionist and his companions.
6) illusionist experieces the Rapture.
7+ as in VAM

Necromancy miscast chart

1) Caster saves vs poison or dies
2) As if "Electric Grave" were cast on the Caster
3) Corpse becomes a Lich, twice the level of the caster who is hostile to the caster. (if no corpse is available, the Lich is summoned to the caster from elsewhere)
4) "Raise the Dead" is Miscast. The Dead do not ignore the caster.
5) Caster and his companions all become Sentient undead, similar to Liches. They do not gain spellcasting abilites.
6) Caster is "Harm"ed. (loses all but 1d4 hit points)
7+ as in VAM

10

(0 replies, posted in LotFP Gaming Forum)

Ran this last night. . . .
every time I run this, when they get to the boiling cauldrons in the lab. I randomly roll and the very first on always is the one that boils over. And the players start kicking over the others without testing.

11

(25 replies, posted in LotFP Gaming Forum)

These are great!

12

(6 replies, posted in LotFP Gaming Forum)

It depends on the level and skill of the players. I have heard of groups that ran DCO with 1st level players. I ran it with 4th level characters and only one player got eaten.

13

(6 replies, posted in LotFP Gaming Forum)

Gregorius, I like your entries!
To explain: The quote is from VEINSCRAWL, a fan created hex crawl for use with VEINS OF THE EARTH that fills in some of the blanks in VOTE. One of them is a section on motivations. Why would a surface dweller go down there on purpose? And one of the possible reasons is treasure hunting.

DEEP CARBON OBSERVATORY was created by the same team as VOTE. It includes a horde that is not overly large for a dragon horde if you are on a gold standard. But is very large if you are on a silver standard. But it's not just a pile of gold. It is a wide variety of treasures, including a box of d100 ocultum coins, which are defined in VOTE. And there is an ocultum coin on the search the body table in VOTE. It is one of those things so valuable that you might throw gold away, in order to carry more ocultum. 

But I like you entries. They are the sort of things found in the DCO horde. The kinds of things you might throw gold away, in order to carry out of the caves.

14

(6 replies, posted in LotFP Gaming Forum)

Reading Veinscrawl and the section on motivations for surface dwellers to explore the Veins, there is is a section on Loot that says:

"Veins loot makes conventional dungeons look like a discount clothing warehouse after a fire sale, in a hyper- inflationary economy, right before the coldest winter on record. Your gold crowns and polished gems and magic wands are bent clothes hangers and ragged Snoopy t-shirts compared to the stuff in the Veins. It will get to the point where gold is too heavy and too pointless to transport."

Looking at the loot in Deep Carbon Observatory, if you don't adjust it for the silver standard, It fits this pattern.

So here is a challenge:
What kind of loot would you put in your Veins campaign? These should be things so valuable that you throw gold away in favour of this treasure.

Rolling Attributes: a modified roll-in-order for OSR RPGs.

I was watching the 1963 version of “Jason and the Argonauts” with a child. There is a scene where Hercules and a friend find the hidden room full of treasure beneath the Talos statue. They go in, and when suddenly, the trap springs and the door closes behind them. But Hercules grabs the door and wrenches it open. “Hercules is famous for being the strongest hero”, I explain. Then, later, when Hercules decides to take the “hair-pin-of-the-gods” and run off with it, Talos, the Bronze Collosus chases after them. “Why is he taking it?” asked the child. “Hercules is NOT famous for being the smartest hero”, I explain.

The above story illustrates something about the kind of character Hercules is. He put all his points in Strength, and not enough in Intelligence or Constitution. (Hercules died after failing a poison save)
On the other hand, Odyseus in spite of being the only one strong enough to string his bow and dexterous enough to shoot through all the axe loops, is not famous for being the strongest or most dexterous hero. He is famous for being the most intelligent hero.

When D&D first started, you had to roll your attributes in order, and would pick your class based on what you rolled. Holmes Basic, the version I started with, had you roll in order, but would let you take 2 points off certain attributes in order to add one to another. This would make it easier to play the Class you wanted to without having to roll again. Lamentations of the Flame Princess has you roll 3d6 in order, then lets you switch one score with another.

(1st ed) AD&D offers several methods of rolling up attributes. But in actual practice, I only ever saw was Method I: roll 4d6 keep the best 3, do this six times, and arrange them on which ever attributes the player chooses. Just before 2nd ed AD&D came out, I encountered a DM who gave people 78 points to distribute amongst six attributes. This could give you three 18s and three 3s. Later, 3rd Ed D&D had a complicated point buy system that was similar to the Holmes Basic system. But I never liked the 3rd ed version of  point buy. I don’t like giving up 2 point to gain one. I would rather run a character with six 10s. 5th ed D&D offered 6 pre-generated scores that you can assign as you choose. But they are too low and too high for my taste.

When you look at roll-in-order verses assign rolls as you choose or point buy. One thing becomes clear. When the player gets to choose where their scores go, they always make a Hercules, never an Odyseus. Fighters never let that 18 they rolled stay on Intelligence. Wizards never let that 18 stay on Strength, where it might help them survive the low levels or carry more equipment. And Charisma is treated as a dump attribute. (unless you are playing one of the New School variants of Bard or Sorcerer) New School players accuse that without Feats, all fighters are the same. But I say, if they can pick where their high attributes go, everyone of a particular class puts them on the same places, making characters who all have the same strengths and weaknesses. On the other hand, when you are using a variant of roll-in-order, you might get a fighter with an 18 Charisma who is great at leading the troops, or a Thief who is a con-man type. Roll-in order allows an Odyseus or Casanova to appear . . . or a Gandalf. (he did a lot of fighting with that sword of his) So, this led me to adopt a modified roll-in-order method that would allow you to be assured to having high scores in your main attributes, white not being able to prevent yourself from having higher scores in the attributes you don’t think are that important for your class. I initially used this for Mazes & Minotaurs. Here is the variationI have come up with for LotFP.

A character has six attributes : one prime requisite (determined by his class), two favoured attributes (one determined by class, the other selected by the player) and three standard attributes. Once these choices have been made, the six attributes are rolled up in order.

To determine the score of the character’s prime requisite, roll 2d6 and add the highest one to 12. (Use the Prime attribute listed by class)To determine the score of a favoured attribute, roll 3d6 and add the two best results to 6. (Use the second main attribute, plus one other)
To determine the score of a standard attribute, roll 3d6. (3 attributes, rolled in order)

Class                      Prime Attribute                   Favoured Attribute
Cleric                        Wisdom                               Charisma
Fighter                     Str or Dex                             Str or Dex or Con
Specialist                     Dex                                        Int
Magic User                   Int                                         Dex
Dwarf                           Con                                         Int
Elf                                 Str or Int or Dex                     Int or Dex
Halfling                        Dex                                          Wis


So let me explain my reasoning behind the required Prime and Favored attributes. Since LotFP adventures are usually set in 17th Earth and there are no Sorcerer or Bards, it made sense to make the Clerics the ones who are likely to have a high Charisma.
I make Fighters chose between being better at melee or missiles. And I make elves choose between those two or magic.
I strongly considered making Wisdom the Favored attribute of Magi.
I made Intelligence the Favored attribute of Dwarfs because it helps with Saving throws against Magic, and it helps with knowing languages.
I made Wisdom the Favoured attribute for Halflings because it helps with poison saves. (which are already easy for Halflings)

Keep in mind that the player does get to pick a second Favoured attribute. So they can roll a high score on that third one they want to roll high for.

This gives players a range of 13-18 for their Prime attribute, with a mean of 16.5.
The Favoured attibutes have a range of 8-18, with a mean of 15.

The remaining three attributes, rolled 3d6 in order, average 10.5, could be as low as 3 or as high as 18.

16

(5 replies, posted in LotFP Gaming Forum)

Two great modules that work well with LotFP and are not listed in Punk's blog are:

Deep Carbon Observatory and Maze of the Blue Medusa.
My roll20 game started with DCO and the player from that era liked it best of any we have done.

17

(5 replies, posted in LotFP Gaming Forum)

You don't need to roll anything to cast a spell.
But if a spell is cast At you, you may need to roll a d20 saving throw to attempt to resist it.

18

(10 replies, posted in LotFP Gaming Forum)

Crunk Posby wrote:
Andomedanaea wrote:

After further thought, I am even more against these changes than I was when I wrote the first post.
The new rules remind me too much of New School D&D, which I don't like. Not liking 3+ ed D&D made me seek out Old School stuff like LotFP.

I would be very interested in details re: how the new LotFP rules are like new D&D. I’ve played all editions from 1E through 5E, and don’t see the similarity.

How is it like 3+ ed?

Chr as the the Magic Saving throw modifier - Like Bards and Sorcerers for 3+ D&D

Skills for all, but specialists are better at skills - like 3+ D&D

Roll high for Skills (and everything really) - like 3+ D&D

Saves based on ability scores and not improving unless the ability score increases - Like 3+ D&D

But the biggest way this is like 3+ D&D is the way in which most of these new rule refer to each other, making it difficult to adopt only the ones you like, and not all of them.

19

(10 replies, posted in LotFP Gaming Forum)

After further thought, I am even more against these changes than I was when I wrote the first post.
The new rules remind me too much of New School D&D, which I don't like. Not liking 3+ ed D&D made me seek out Old School stuff like LotFP.

20

(10 replies, posted in LotFP Gaming Forum)

I have seen something about a future edition of LotFP on the internet. But with Eldritch Cock, I finally see it in actual print. So I thought I would give my feedback. The various editions of D&D produced by WoC are very different from each other and very different from anything TSR produced. In comparison to anything WoC produced, the various versions of D&D and AD&D that TSR produced are near Identical. Sure there are some differences. That’s why we prefer one edition over another. But they are all so much alike that you can use modules made for one edition and use them for another with little or no modification needed. In some versions no armor is AC10, in others, it’s AC 9. But in all TSR versions chainmail is AC 5 and Platemail + Shield is AC 2. The same goes for the various retro-clones of TSR games. They are all basically the same game.
So when I first looked at the current rules of LotFP I saw the same game I had been playing for decades, with a few minor, but important, rule changes. The familiarity of LotFP is what made me willing to give the system a try, rather than play lotFP modules using (1st ed) AD&D rules, which is totally doable.

So in the front cover of EC is the weird magic system that had already been using for a year ever since VAM came out. One of my complains about most games is that Magic Users never reach high enough level to use the really cool spells. This fixes that. I only have a couple of quibbles with it. First of all, I don’t like all the spells being the same level for research costs. Players should have to make that choice about which spells they can afford to research. Are they going to spend all their money on Time Stop? Or will they instead, research: Detect Magic, Identify, Magic Missile, Sleep, Invisibility and Haste for the same cost? Also, when I play with New School players, they gripe a lot about not getting to pick their spells, even if the randomly rolled spells are high level.

So, on to the back cover . . .

In the introduction, you make a point about LotFP being a game where characters rarely progress beyond 1st level. And these new rules appear to be built on that assumption. They appear to be making a game like Holmes Basic where characters never progress beyond 3rd level. My experience with OSR games and LotFP is that 1st level characters do have a high death rate. For that reason, players, especially New School players don’t like to start at first level. Also, when sitting around a table, rolling up an OSR character is quick and easy. When playing online, rolling up a character is more complicated and can take an hour of referee time. (though the roll time for the player is much shorter) For this reason, when playing online, I start all new characters at 12,003 XP which is 4th level for most classes. At this level, the death rate is not so high, characters don’t die on the first encounter very often and often they live to progress in level. Still, I can’t see 1st level characters surviving for very long in a Red and Pleasant Land or Frostbitten and Mutilated or Broodmother Skyfortress.

Ability Scores
New School players like a point buy system for choosing Ability Scores. And they tend to make the same choices over and over, so all characters of a particular class tend to be pretty much the same. Everyone makes a Hercules. No one makes an Odyseus. For this reason, I prefer some variation of “roll in order” and LotFP uses a modified “roll in order” as it’s standard. Six attributes are the standard that LotFP inherited from older game systems. But my time playing Mazes & Minotaurs has made me question why there needs to be 6 attributes and why Strength and Constitution need to be separate attributes.
So now you are making Charisma affect Magic Saving Throws. I certain that this makes sense to New School players who are used to playing Sorcerers and Bards. But LotFP does not have either of those classes. Why do Chr and Int even need to be separate Attributes?
Hit Dice size is now based on Con and not class? I Predict we will see a lot of Magi with high Constitutions with this rule, and Fighters with d4 HD.
Dex Increases initiative roll size? I already use individual Initiative. This rule will prevent certain characters from always being first because they are +3 on initiative. I predict Magi will pick this ability often.
Intelligence increasing skill points? This was already true for Languages. It makes sense for extending it to all skills.
Strength now helps encumbrance. The simplified encumbrance system was one of the strengths of LotFP. This makes it more complicated.
Wisdom. . . . with no Clerics, why even have separate saves for Magic and Other? Why not merge Wis, Chr and Int?

Character Classes
The classes have been reduced to Fighter, Magic User and Specialist. I like that in LotFP each class is unique. But in making this transition Elves and Clerics have been hurt the worse. Elves have lost too much of their fighting ability in LotFP and their XP per level has been lowered too much. Many players who try to game the system chose to play Elves instead of  Magi. So I am not sorry to see elves go.
Clerics, on the other hand have been the biggest losers of the conversion to LotFP. When the spells were divided between Magic and Clerics, the Clerics got fewer and weaker spells. They also lost their almost-fighter combat abilities. Still, I can’t see running a game without Clerics.  England Upturned devotes a lot of space to Clerics of various religions. And World of the Lost has that Cleric Spell generator.
But I really, really like the LotFP rules for Dwarfs and Halflings! I would like to see those classes survive, even if not as little non-human people. Replace Architecture with Leadership and Dwarfs would make a good Pikeman Class. And Halflings as Humans could make good Explorers/Rangers/Poachers/Savages.
Also, there are certain players that are very attached to Elves, Dwarves and Halflings. (And New School Players who are very attached to Dragonborn and Teiflings)

Attack Bonuses
I don’t understand why Firearms and Ranged attack are different. Or, if there are no to-hit bonuses for Str and Dex, why there needs to be more than one kind of Attack Bonus.

Weapon Damage
The old system of variable weapon damage is fast and easy. You just roll the die. With LotFP, I can easily negate 5 AC for firearms. But I have trouble remembering to do it for crossbows. The new system of variable armor seems like a nightmare to implement unless  you were playing online and someone had already made you a character sheet with imbedded macros.

Skills
Not rolling a 1d100% roll for skills was the biggest change for me. But I quickly grew to love the LotFP method of rolling on a d6.
I don’t like this new way of rolling skills. Having a 1 in 4 chance and rolling seemed quick and easy. Filling in the dots on the character sheet made it easy to see how much of a chance you had to succeed.  I’m pretty sure this new method was come up with because New School players were complaining about not being able to roll high for skills. If I make this change, it will take some getting used to. And it is not backwards compatible. Large sections of Veins of the Earth will have to be re-written.
Giving some skills to the non-specialists undercuts the whole idea that only Specialists are good at skills. Also, I think that Specialists start with too few skills. They should have a decent chance to succeed with dangerous skills like Climbing, disarming traps (that will go off if you fail) or stealth (against someone who will attack you if you fail) If you don’t have at least a 50/50 chance of success, the skill is too dangerous to attempt. For this reason in my game I start Specialists with 12 points, and have them progress 2/level after 1st.
Looking at the list of skills . . . I see Sneak attack has been removed. Even though I enforce the rule that the victim must be unaware of the Specialist and Surprised, I disagree with this removing this Skill. My Players don’t use it a lot. But it is satisfying when they succeed. (Also, have this skill makes them attempt Stealth more often)
Leadership is a good idea for a skill for warrior or priestly types. It does not seem a good fit for Specialists to be the best at.
Luck - This seems like a good new skill.
Medicine -  This also seems like a good skill. I have already been using something similar I got from a website. This makes the Specialist, not the Cleric the go-to guy for healing. And when they have to look outside the party for healing, my party trusts the swamp-witch more than any Clerics they meet.
Seamanship - Thus far LotFP has not done much with seaborne adventures. The Underdark Swimming skill from Veins of the Earth should be folded into this.

Saving Throws
I don’t at all like this new method of rolling Saving Throws! Although it is more advantageous than the existing system for 1st level characters. You get stuck with the same Saving Throws forever, never improving. Besides, I have spent decades rolling a d20 for Saves. If you insist with going with this, perhaps you could make ability score increases one of the perks of leveling up?
And speaking of Saves, There is no reason to stick with the 5 different kinds of saves. One of the few things I like about WoC is their division of Saves into 3 categories. You could easily pare that down to two.

21

(4 replies, posted in LotFP Gaming Forum)

by not having +1 weapons and making plate mail so expensive. LotFP keeps the AC low enough that non-fighters have a chance against most monsters and Fighters do well against them. (Guns AC bonuses help too)

22

(8 replies, posted in LotFP Gaming Forum)

I have written my own 1-6 miscast charts for spells, based on which school they are.

Death Frost Doom is now gone from the website.  . . . who's next? (some of the things currently on have been gone in the recent past)

I'm not in the USA. A USA distribution center does not help me much. Getting them sent to a USA relative, then sent to me is more expensive than paying more to have it shipped directly from him.

And it does sound like he's going to only sell at cons. The next two books will only be at gen con.

The Facebook page gives the impression that the postal rates are pushing him out of business, except at cons.
A great shame. I would be willing to pay more for postage if I had to. I already pay double when I buy from Goodman games. I only don't buy more from them because I don't like their stuff as much as LotFP.