/osrg/ Old School Renaissance General

Thanks! Basically, High Elves are ayy lmaos who wouldn't deign to get near a human if their life depended on it, and Low Elves are basically if deer were people, but not furry. They're extremely stupid by human standards, barely capable of language or tool use, and they run around forests in herds. The Low Elves were made by the High Elves in their image similar to how Humans (and Petty Dwarves) were made by the Elder Dwarves in their image, although Humans actually served a purpose for the Dwarves, while Low Elves were kind of a vanity thing.

>Am I the only one who plays a Frankenstein system with tidbits taken from multiple systems as well as blogs and homebrew material?

The opposite. Most people do this instead of play RAW. But much like any organization, the tighter knit it is causes more division because the tiny flaws look bigger. All the games are essentially identical but people still keep changing one or two things to change up the game.

>Am I the only one who plays a Frankenstein system with tidbits taken from multiple systems as well as blogs and homebrew material?
Definitely not. I don't think anyone has ever run an RPG with every single rule exactly as written, all included.
Steal what you want; loot and build.
Why bother with boats then?

Nah, frankensteining is the only real way. Also, because of rulings and the inevitable march of house-rules, it's nigh impossible to maintain a RAW game. Most of the time when I'm arguing about systems it's out of the fun of seeing whether a system's strengths can outweigh its flaws. It also helps us understand what sucks and what rocks about a system, leading to more awesome frankensteins.

Alright, thinking about writing a mini-splat for witches (and hags/changelings)
>based on PF witches but not as powerful
>1d6 HD
>spells limited to two "mysteries" (patrons in PFspeak) at 1st level, get more as they level
>don't have spell slots: roll 1d20 each time they cast a spell, natural 1 is backlash, chance to fail increases for ever spell cast in a 24-hour period
>backlash scales to spell level
>misc abilities like identify herb (%) and taste magic
>can group up in covens with other witches/hags to boost power
Thoughts?

>while Low Elves were kind of a vanity thing.
> although Humans actually served a purpose for the Dwarves,
It's sex, isn't it? This is some kind of weird biopunk sex thing?

Tossing this out there again for critique.
>pastebin.com/HuGxyxmR
I'm looking for how to make the Elf more of a fighter-magic user hybrid but in a different way than someone just taking templates in both Fighter and Wizard.

Well, I definitely Frankenstein my systems. I'm not sure I've even read any single OSR system in its entirety. Except Rules Compendium, but that hardly counts because it's only one book.

That said I still have strong opinions on why various games do certain things better than other games.

>

>>don't have spell slots: roll 1d20 each time they cast a spell, natural 1 is backlash, chance to fail increases for ever spell cast in a 24-hour period
Why not tie it into the HP economy instead? Witches spend HP to cast spells; get HP back by killing stuff or doing specific ritual acts or time and normal healing (but can't use clerical healing).

I love the idea of automatic hirelings for witches; spend a few days in town and some disillusioned housewives or rebellious daughters will want to join you.

Well originally, Humans were for prosecuting surface wars between underground Dwarven civilizations, but when things settled down and the surface was properly colonized by the various subject races (Humans, Halfings, some types of Petty Dwarves), there was a lot of sex going on - in between the ritual sacrifices, that is. Humans and Dwarves can have kids, as can Humans and Low Elves, and all the other combinations, but none of them can have kids with High Elves, even if they are physically compatible, because again, HEs are ayy lmaos.

Basically, anything your average medieval shmuck would identify as a distinct group are sexually compatible - all frogs and toads are compatible with each other, all canines, all felines, rats and mice and other rodents, pretty much all insects, etc. However, again, High Elves don't fit because they're aliens who Spelljammed their way here millennia ago and then their civilization collapsed, leaving them trapped.

What are some notable aspects of your Frankenstein? I've lost track of exactly what came from where, but here's some of mine:
>started with LotFP
>classes kept pretty much the same
>everyone gains +1 skill point every 3rd level (specialists as normal)
>separate race and class (races usually have a stat bonus, skill bonus, and/or minor ability)
Biggest change:
>Ditched Vancian Magic for Casting Dice (d6)
>+1 CD every third level
>mostly stolen from GLOG, spells are either a combined sum or number of dice used
>simplified and small spell list (10 ambiguously titled spells)
>only a couple have set rules, the rest is up to player interpretation and convincing DM why it's a valid use
>DM rules how many CDs it would take to accomplish spell, based on the magnitude
>a CD roll of 1 expends the dice for the day, double 1's is a mishap
My players seem to love this magic system more than the traditional. I switched to this because they were always too apprehensive (aka lazy) to play MU because they didn't want to have to read through a bunch of spells to choose from, learn the details, and then keep track of spell slots. Now they play MU all the time.

>multiclassing
>two classes, combined XP requirement
Or
>hybrid classing
>pick a primary and secondary class
>primary as normal, secondary gets half the shit:
>Cleric/MU casts as half the level
>Specialist +1 skill point per level
>fighter +1 attack bonus every other level
>XP requirement is 1.5x primary class

B\X: The OG. Don't use the book.
LL: Don't use this either. Good shit tho.

LotFP: I steal its encumbrance and Specialist. I enjoy it's skill system and tinkering with it. I use the modules.
BFRPG: My main backbone to the system I run. With the supplements available, it's a better version of AD&D.
DCC: I use this magic system a lot. I like the racial boons too; like Dwarves smelling gold. Vancian magic is fine, but this ramps it up to a better level.

I think they're like beer. They're all just the same thing, but flavored different.

GLOG-based with bits nicked from every other system I think looks interesting and lots of shitty homebrew content. In brief
-Race separate from Class
-Flat level curve (levels 1-4 are important, 5+ less so)
-6 stats, 3d6 in order, 1 rerolled based on race
-Roll-under stats for most tests. Separate Attack + Defense values (not based on stats directly, same for most classes to promote competence)
-Level-less magic system
-Medieval-ish setting with classes to suit
-Estate system (both in the 3 Estates and in managing estates) starts at level 1 via taxes

Are there Elder Dwarf equivalents for rat, frog, etc?

>Started with the GLoG and tore pretty much everything out
>kept the drunkeness rules
>the breakage rules
>stats improving on level up
>4d4 stat gen MASTER RACE!
>made an unholy hybrid of lotfp skill rules with PbtA 2d6 rolls
>made race as class because players are grogs
>ascending AC and "high rolls are good," also because players are grogs
>stole Skerple's backgrounds and then tweaked them...a lot
>created wilderness survival rules based on every wilderness survival rule I have ever read.
>replaced generous GLoG healing with 1d4 binding wounds and hearty Occultesque dungeon meals

>Basically, anything your average medieval shmuck would identify as a distinct group are sexually compatible
Ah, got it in one.

What are some notable aspects of your Frankenstein? I've lost track of exactly what came from where, but here's some of mine:
>LotFP base.
>Race/Class separation. Races get, typically, a modifier +1 and a skill +1. Includes standard races + ones I enjoy, like Kenku, Half-Elves and Orcs.
>Only Fighters, Rangers and Barbarians get the Press/Defensive Options.
>Inserted a version of the DCC Mighty Deed.
>Everyone has 5e HD. IDGAF, I think it's better.
>Magic-Users choose a school of magic. I have a spell list for each.
>Tricksters are a class. They only use Illusionist spells.

Biggest change:
>Magic-Users have "safe casting" (normal spell slots) and risk casting (use either DCC or Last Gasp rolls for this)
>Long/Short rest options that aren't retarded,
>+1 AB every 3rd level.
>Added a few new Skills.

Keep in mind, I only use this particular rule-set for a certain group. For my other I run DCC basically by the book and the other-other, a Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy campaign using BFRPG (with a few tweaks) and ASE.

>the breakage rules
How're you finding those in play? I tried using them for a bit but tracking it just didn't seem easy. Plus, my players were breaking their stuff all the time anyway (acid on armour, sword used as crowbard, bow used to whack stuff, etc)
>stole Skerple's backgrounds and then tweaked them...a lot
As is right and proper. Bear in mind that I write ~10 extra backgrounds per class and then edit them down. They /should/ be edited to personal taste and setting needs.

My game wasn't really "based" on anything besides some of the common or generic numbers.

The biggest differences from other systems are;
>3 classes, no clerics
>no non-support magic (Sages)
>Fighter d10, Rogue d8, Sage d6
>stats are just roll d6 add +1 stat mod for that stat 3 times, then 2 times for negative
>combat dice system; ie; roll class HD for initiative, 6+ gets advantage, 10 is instant hit)
>roll class dice for damage as long as you're armed
>one saving throw number w/ modifiers based on your class level and/or stats if relevant
>use a "skill roll" if you're doing some requiring skill like lockpicking, playing a ballad, walking tightrope, etc. Can be avoided by roleplay
>fighters get +1 to damage and combat saves per level
>rogues get +1 to skill rolls and hazard (trap/environment/falls) saves per level
>sages get better magic and +1 to spell saves per level
>weapon type gives bonus to-hit against regular armor
>monsters use d6 HD
>xp = gold spent

Other then that, I think that's everything. It's a pretty simple game. We'll see if new rules need to be added as they come up.

>What are some notable aspects of your Frankenstein?
Btw, thanks for posting such a good question and following up with a response.

>Ditched Vancian Magic for Casting Dice (d6)
>DM rules how many CDs it would take to accomplish spell, based on the magnitude
>a CD roll of 1 expends the dice for the day, double 1's is a mishap

Do you have any guidelines for how you do this? I've been trying to make a spontaneous/non-spell list style magic system for a long time.

Very manageable. I just rolled it into the whole fumble debacle (rather than on a 19-20 because I thought that was weird). The first few times I just said
>Okay, I'm rolling this die, 1-3, it's fine, 4-6, it gets a break.
But lately they've started taking the initiative *rimshot* and checking for breakage by themselves. All they have to do is change a number on their character sheet and I’d barely call the system tracking. It’s a binary state, is it damaged? Yes, okay, it breaks. No? It gets damaged. That said, between the circle of people who DM for our group, I do kind of have a reputation for just remembering things, so your mileage may vary. There was one time someone thought they’d forgotten their character sheet so I just started scribbling out a replacement, when they finally found it, they were pretty similar. Overall, they’re encouraging my players to take care of their equipment and learn how to haggle.

Sure thing. Thankfully my players are pretty flexible because sometimes I change rulings based on the situation or when I forget what I ruled last session.

Spell lists are broken into Tiers for each class. At level 1, they roll for spells known. Once they hit level 3/4, they can learn from the next Tier

Pic 1/3

2/3

3/3 rough guidelines for spell costs

thoughts?
the feats are for my pathfinder-obsessed group to ease the transition

You might want to have a way to randomize certain aspects, like race and class. My players can never seem to decide. Even just numbering the list makes it easy (or weighting it towards human if that's your thing)

Seems like your classes would end up with lots of HP on average. Is that intentional? Also seems like Constitution is very very important.

Looks reasonably solid otherwise. Might want to work on "flattening" the classes - making them more similar and less variable on the HP front.

it looks like the hag will get a /lot/ of spells per day compared to an MU or cleric.
Perhaps make the chance of failure be rank-of-spell plus spells-cast-already.

>get to races
>elves/dwarves/halflings/gnomes
>lose all interest and close .pdf

What are some notable aspects of your Frankenstein?
>lotfp base
>HP is divided into flesh-and-grit, as used in wp&ws.
>specialist's sneak attack skill is now x-in-6 chance to backstab, damaging flesh directly.
>apply attribute modifiers to skill chances.
>New skill: Medicine, like in wp&ws
>new skill: Contacts, like in Esoteric Enterprises

>firearms rules from LotFP appendix
>Armour as LotFP
>other equipment is as ACKS
>Hirelings mostly work like in ACKS.
>no domain building, the thieves-guild rules from ACKS are used for running your competant followers instead, the 0-level mooks use LotFP rules.

>dwarf is re-fluffed as human bodyguards.
>halfling is re-fluffed as human urchins, hobos and feral kids.
>elf is mostly-human noble assholes.

>cleric and MU spell-lists smooshed into one huge-ass spell-list.
>MU's work as standard, and are your sensible accademic wizards.
>Clerics cast as Last Gasp Grimoire's Mystics (pretty much), but limited to one spell known per level; the cleric picks their god and the DM determines which spells they get. They're your culty types.
>elves are re-fluffed as degenerate nobles meddling in the occult. They cast like Last Gasp Grimoire's maleficars.

>ressurection is possible and easy, but it brings you back undead, and you get progressively less human each time you come back.

you can just ignore the bits you don't like, you know, and just nick the bits you do.

also, [shilling intensifies]
last thread people were arguing about how to do bards. Here's mine.
cavegirlgames.blogspot.co.nz/2017/12/lotfp-bards.html

I mean, it just seems like another kind of Specialist. Perfectly gameable, well balanced, but bland.

You could put all the Bard skill things and the Specialist skill things and other skill things and roll on it 3 or 4 times to generate a custom class each time you pick a character.

Cavegirl, I never took you for a Kiwi.

In mine:

>to-hit bonuses as LotFP (although I came up with the idea independently)
>spell list cribbed together from B/X and AD&D, designed to be similar to B/X but without the spells I don't really like much
>monsters generally from AD&D
>clerics allegedly similar to 9and30's clerics without spells, although I have to fix them a bit
>rebalanced classes so that all of the classes can have the same XP table and also to be easier to remember
>race as class
>various changes made to elves (although I'm not sure which I'm using yet)
>no thieves or halflings at the moment (I might have thieves eventually, if I can figure out a good way of doing it, and I might add in ratlings with halfling stats)
>possibly other classes/races added in eventually, but starting with just fighter/MU/elf/dwarf, maybe cleric
>Vancian magic in general
>LNC alignment
>some of the mechanics taken from 3.5 mixed with my own edits
>Blackmoorian magic items
>1CP obtained = 1XP, stolen from... Well, I thought it was from Skerples, but TotSK uses silver standard, so who knows at this point.
>psionics cribbed together from Courtney Campbell (which I think is actually just AD&D's?) mixed with oldschoolpsionics' house rules, allegedly
>death and dying from tenfootpolemic, which is based mainly on CC's
>simultaneous initiative for the most part
>a number of house rules including encumbrance, weapon type vs ac, etc.

Also, if you don't want your players to have to read through a bunch of spells, roll for what spell they get at 1st level and then give them a card with it. Works pretty well.

It's hilarious you added so much circumspect garbage but still are wary of adding Thieves.

What scale do you use indoors, osr? Do you use 10 feet per square, or 5 feet per square?

>1CP obtained = 1XP, stolen from... Well, I thought it was from Skerples
It's not, not really. I straight up use gp = xp, but it's all base 10 so it doesn't matter. And TotSK doesn't really use the silver standard either - the values are pretty approximate and all over the place.

>I straight up use gp = xp,
WTF? Wasn't the GLoG set for cp = gp? How do your PCs not level up abysmally slow?

I started my OD&D campaign only a few days ago.

>Dozens of players
>Dozens of dead characters
>Players hiring Elves and Dwarves to improve chances of finding secrets
>Players learning the value of hirelings
>Players using tactics to create shield walls and goading enemies into traps
>Running away from anything remotely suspect
I've had three sessions and we've lost something like 13 characters already. We're using F'Chelrak's Tomb right now and it's a blast.

What do you guys like to use for initiative? I've changed it a little it every session to see what clicks, basing the structure on Chainmail. So far I like simultaneous movement, where players Determine Surprise, Declare Action, Move/Missiles, cast Spells, then resolve Melee. No d6 roll needed, just going clockwise around the table. Everyone seems to dig it, but I can't help but feel I'm missing something. Any tips?

I also use the houserule of "long weapons go first in the first combat round, then shorter ones thereafter", based on Chainmail, as well as +1 damage on two-handed weapons. Any other options folks like to use to embetter their games?

I... adjusted the table? Made it fit with my currency system and costs. Ya know, hombrew?
200gp to get to level 1, 400 to level 2, 700 to 3, 1,000 to 4, etc.

I want to write a class that wheels around and uses a cannon. A big, primitive, medieval, noisy, and dangerous cannon.

Good idea? Bad idea? Or the best idea?

I think it's fucking awesome, unironically. Please do that.

How do you create adventures and dungeons without it feeling like a chore?

I can't stay focused on dungeon design, I keep getting bogged down in how many monsters to put in a room, or how to generate treasure.

How do you guys do it?

Somebody is going to reply with TABLES and they're right to a degree.

You also need to consider why it feels like a chore to you; do you feel that it is a chore because you feel obligated to creature an entire dungeon for your players? Are you running a game soon or want to attract players and use that dungeon to play with?

Or do you already have players and want to give them something new? In either case; one solution may be just to wing it. Create only the bare minimum of what a dungeon should be, and use random tables and your own DM intiuition on how many monsters and treasures to put in places, just as the players discover them. It can be mentally challenging, but a lot of fun and requires no prep.

Completely obsolete. Cannon is an item/asset/mobile terrain feature that should be able to be used by anyone (or anyone trained) with access to ammunition. Some custom rules are all that you need, and that does not come any close to filling the design space of a full-fledged PC class.

>circumspect garbage
Like what?

Thieves I don't like because they actively take away content from the game, and also I don't really want players to go around stealing to get their money.

.co.nz is one of the few endy-bits for blogspot that Veeky Forums doesn't think is spam.
cavegirl's a brit

seems reasonable. You could just whack those skills onto the specialist and broaden its area a bit more.

Awful idea. You will slow down the entire party, be useless unless prepared about 10 minutes in advance, and be unable to hit anything with functioning legs and a brain.

I like the idea, but I feel like it would thematically and mechanically fit better with Darkest Dungeon than with OSR games.

>Cannon is an item/asset/mobile terrain feature that should be able to be used by anyone (or anyone trained) with access to ammunition.
So are swords and yet we have fighters...
We aren't talking early modern cannons here. These cannons are rare. Nobody in the towns you visit has ever seen one. People still think it's the apocalypse if you set a stock of gunpowder off accidentally.
Wheelbarrow-sized, can be disassembled in 5 mins and carried (but it takes up a lot of inventory slots), can be quickly reloaded and fired?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pot-de-fer
Or small ribauldequins, maybe, for multi-shots?

You try marching for 10 miles to a dungeon at 1st level pulling a giant fucking hunk of iron, as many balls of iron as you can carry, and a large container of gunpowder. Alone.
Guarantee the other PCs would get sick of your shit really quick.

I'll come with hirelings, don't worry.
Plus, pfft, iron cannonballs? Try leather, stone, and giant iron arrowheads. Typical shot weight is ~3lbs, which isn't bad at all.
And yeah, everyone laughs until you rout 200 goblins or blow a hole in a cave troll or take out that thick door. Then nobody laughs. 'coz they're all deaf from firing a cannon indoors. But hey! Loot!

>unironically bringing realism into this

That's not how this works. That's not how any of this works.

CANNON MAN
d8 HD
LEVEL ONE- SHOOT CANNON, HAUL CANNON
LEVEL TWO- BLUNDERBUSS BONUS
LEVEL THREE- CANNON CART SLAMMA
LEVEL FOUR- ????
NAME LEVEL- CANNON FORT

>SHOOT CANNON
You get to shoot cannons faster and more accurate then anyone else, you can shoot once per round and deal 2d10 at point blank against large targets, or 2d6 to all creatures in a straight line farther away.
>HAUL CANNON
You can pick up and move your cannon as lightly encumbered. At X level this counts as not being encumbered.
>BLUNDERBUSS BONUS
You deal +1 damage when you slam a bunch of random forks, knives, rocks and shit into the cannon with a powder charge. You could always do this, you just deal bonus damage with it now. Also hit multiple enemies in an arc.
>CANNON CART SLAMMA
You can use the cannon as an improvised weapon at full speed; charging into targets and dealing 1d8+strength modifier damage. If you ride the cannon down a hill you can use it as a cart to escape chasing enemies or bowl into a bunch of them and enter melee on your cannon steed.
>CANNON FORT
When you reach name level, your cannon skills have attracted the attention of the nearest major port city fort captain. He offers you a position as chief cannoneer. You also get to play with full sized cannons now, and have a cannon team that can let you reload and shoot once per round.

This is just an example of how to write up a class, losers.

If your class makes you utterly useless in a bandit ambush scenario on the road, it's a bad class. You're not crossing a thick forest either. Even tall grass or mud will defeat your class. Rain would soak your gunpowder, and at least the fighter has a sword as his backup if his pistol's gunpowder gets wet. Your class on the other hand becomes useless.
>firing that in a dungeon
You will be guaranteed to alert the entire dungeon to your presence and fill the air with smoke that will make your party hate you intensely.
You want to be good at shooting cannons if the opportunity arises? Play a fighter. They get better and better with any weapon, including siege weapons.

>You will be guaranteed to alert the entire dungeon to your presence and fill the air with smoke that will make your party hate you intensely.
Yes. On the other hand, massive damage and automatic morale checks. So it's a trade.

Plus I haven't done the math on how far a medieval 3-lb cannon's blast would travel underground with stone walls.

>If your class makes you utterly useless in a bandit ambush scenario on the road, it's a bad class.
Arguably, so's a wizard at night when they're out of spells (or any other class with limited spell slots). Takes a wizard 1hr to memorize spells; take a cannoneer a few minutes to set up and load and fire. Less if they plop the thing on a stump and aim vaguely.
>Even tall grass or mud will defeat your class.
Ever operated a wheelbarrow over rough terrain? It's not as bad as you'd think. Rubber tires help, sure, but I've used steel-wheeled barrows on rocky and muddy forest paths.
>rain would soak your gunpowder
It's a problem. Wizards have the same issue with spellbooks. Waterproof skins and bags help.
And yeah, you'd have a dagger or a club too. The class isn't going to be crippled if the cannon gets stolen. They can also build a new one (out of wood! Wood, by god!).

When you find a new blog, what exactly do you think is most important?
>Classes/Rulesets
>Monsters and/or Items
>Dungeons/Adventures
>Fluff or setting lore

>Arguably, so's a wizard at night when they're out of spells
Your comparison doesn't make sense when the cannoneer also has a limited amount of cannonballs. A wizard can prepare multiple spells in the morning, and sacrifices no mobility. You can only prepare one shot per combat. One. And if your opponent has greater than animal intellect, he's not going to be in your line of fire. Your class also has terrible mobility while attempting to move the cannon in battle, leaving you wide open and defenseless.
>It's a problem. Wizards have the same issue with spellbooks. Waterproof skins and bags help.
A wizard doesn't take out his spellbook when casting. A spellbook is just for memorizing, not casting itself.
>And yeah, you'd have a dagger or a club too. The class isn't going to be crippled if the cannon gets stolen.
Then play a fighter?
>They can also build a new one (out of wood! Wood, by god!).
The odds of you having access to the kind of wood that can withstand having an explosive fired out of it is slim to none since not all regions of the world have hardwood trees.

I mostly look for "here is a common problem, here is how I solve it, and here is how I made those choices."
Plus cool new ideas. I don't really care about detailed setting lore. Monsters and items are good. Classes and rulesets are also good if they are rules light.

Read through a module with a dungeon design you want to emulate. Focus only on the map at first and then read the room descriptions second. Learn about what it is you want to replicate in your own dungeon.

Do you like certain dungeons because they are big or small?
Do you like certain dungeons because they are linear or non-linear?
Do you like certain dungeons because they are abstract/random or explicitly themed a particular way?

...

Then start mapping your own dungeons and be okay with making mistakes.

>Your comparison doesn't make sense when the cannoneer also has a limited amount of cannonballs.
At 3lbs each, with a hireling... not really the same.
> You can only prepare one shot per combat.
More research required to see how many 10 second rounds are needed between shots.
>And if your opponent has greater than animal intellect, he's not going to be in your line of fire.
And has seen a cannon before or is capable of guessing. It's not terribly obvious, especially if there are other more "sensible" threats than the weird fire wheelbarrow. Remember, these are small cannons. They're like pipes, not barrels.
>Your class also has terrible mobility while attempting to move the cannon in battle, leaving you wide open and defenseless.
Wheelbarrow sprinting is about as fast as regular sprinting. Weird, I know, but true. Proper loading and centre of mass balancing helps. Training.
>A wizard doesn't take out his spellbook when casting. A spellbook is just for memorizing, not casting itself.
Still fucked by a dip in the lake.
>Then play a fighter?
Bah!
>The odds of you having access to the kind of wood that can withstand having an explosive fired out of it is slim to none since not all regions of the world have hardwood trees.
But you can buy some in certain cities or make really shitty cannons. Or make it out of weird dungeon materials - melt down magic swords, bits of elven chainmail, and strange rings to make an extremely unusual cannon.

>assuming hirelings will be available at level 1
>expecting to reload a cannon without fucking it up(!) while being attacked
>thinking the act of sprinting is the same as dodging (especially since turning around and running will incur attack of opportunity if you're not defending yourself)
>thinking a wizard wouldn't have a simple wax-sealed bag for their spellbook if they knew they were going anywhere near a lake.
>thinking your teammates will wait around for you to whittle a fucking cannon complete with wheels and axles
Even if you were a master carpenter somehow, it would take easily take a week or more without specialized tools since you yourself said that the small window of time in which your class would have to take place in means no one else knows about cannons, meaning no one else knows how to make them outside the royal army. Royal engineers' time are not for sale, especially not to some murderhobo adventurer who thinks using a cannon in light skirmishes is a good idea.

It doesn't work. You need to think of a different homebrew class.

>assuming hirelings will be available at level 1
The class could give you one or more.
>expecting to reload a cannon without fucking it up(!) while being attacked
PCs are expected to all sorts of things. A misfire table will be available.
>thinking a wizard wouldn't have a simple wax-sealed bag for their spellbook if they knew they were going anywhere near a lake.
Same with gunpowder, then?
>thinking your teammates will wait around for you to whittle a fucking cannon complete with wheels and axles
Presumably some components can be adapted. Also, what's downtime for if not building weird things? Or are you one of those non-downtime humans?
>a week or more without specialized tools
So it takes 2 weeks. Downtime, user. Downtime and hirelings and a plan.
Or don't lose your cannon.
>It doesn't work. You need to think of a different homebrew class.
Pfft, if I listened to Veeky Forums on what to do or not to do I'd do nothing.

Cannons were never meant for small skirmish battles. Just be a fucking wizard with the fireball spell, you idiot.

Well, that's a horrifying picture.

This picture is absolutely perfect for my game/setting as inspo.

For initiative, I have both sides (PCs & NPCs) roll d6. Highest result goes first. It's nice and simple, but I'm thinking of expanding it a bit to add more depth. Maybe with weapon speeds like you're using.

My players get +1 damage on two-handed weapons, or +1 to-hit when dual-wielding.

I guess it's fine if you're one of those people that have a billion different classes in their game.
But if your classes are Fighter, Cleric, Wizard, Thief, and Cannoneer, then it's dumb as hell.

Monster damage automatically scales decently with multiple attacks in a round. PC damage less so except when spellcasters drop xd6 damage. Fighters do alright with magic weapons and equipment, but I strongly dislike that being baked into the system.

OLD MAN YELLS AT D&D DOT TXT

Well what sort of tables do you suggest?

I love the sort of dungeons that don't use stock Tolkien monsters. I like the idea of creating my own, and I've scoured the blogs for anything that can help me with it.

I also like emergent fiction and sandbox play, as the games I usually run are either PbtA or CofD.

My dream is having a simple system where I can randomly roll and entire dungeon, its unique creatures and everything inside of it and make sense of it all myself. Or, even better yet, not have a dungeon at all to begin with, and have a way to randomly roll it as the party goes through it.

But to do so, I'd need to know how to put together a random encounter table, and in in it a way of determining how many monsters appear.

Am I autistic? It just never seems right for me. It's like I'm adrift in a sea of fish and they're all telling me to jump in. There are too many options too many ways of doing things, and I don't know what to choose.

I swear if anyone ever asks for more hex-crawl resources after this I'm going to bludgeon them to death with a beehive. melancholiesandmirth.blogspot.com/2017/12/procedural-generation-of-hex-crawl-redux.html?m=1

2 > 4 > 3 > 1

Classes are okay if they're distinct enough conceptually and mechanically, otherwise I won't use them.

House rules are generally good.

Monsters aren't all that useful to me.

Items might have a purpose but I don't use them much yet. Still they're cool to see.

Unlikely to use dungeons or adventures.

Fluff and setting lore is okay if it's not really all that tied to your setting so I could borrow it if I can borrow it into my system without issue. Like if you talk about how your dwarves are different or whatever, I can use that if I want to make my dwarves different. But if you go into detail about the Yellow City ruled by the slug men, I don't have much use for that because it's so setting specific.

>10 second rounds
Gross.
>assuming hirelings will be available at level 1
If you haven't just started the campaign, the party can lend you a few.

I'm running a campaign set in MEIQER, THE CITY AT THE EDGE OF TIME, and I've run into a snag.
The Party belongs to a bounty hunter's guild, and as such they don't take too kindly to looting. Unfortunately this is a game where xp is earned primarily through treasure. How can I provide a way for the characters to level up beyond just combat. I've patched the problem partially through giving them cash rewards for bounties (which makes perfect sense) and giving stipulations on various contracts like "just bring me the bounty head and you can keep whatever you find in their place." BUUUUUT, I'm looking to see what variations I can find for this. Repetition leads to staleness and that's no fun.

From last thread
>I still don't see when an Architecture skill check would come in play though.
It's all about what information you give the players, and/or what's there to find.

So, Search is the skill of tossing an area quickly and efficiently, looking for >anything< out of place or odd.

Architecture, on the other hand, is your ability to plan and understand built structures. An Architect can see that the next passage in the mine is unstable and maybe you shouldn't be making loud noises right now.

Let's say you have a room with a secret passage along the back.
A successful search roll in the right room could find a mechanism but not necessarily know what it does.
An Architecture roll in the same place could get you the information that there's a 5-foot gap between the walls of two of the rooms.

Bushcraft, meanwhile, is useful for finding snares and dangerous critters in the woods in the same way.

Scale down the xp tables.
Have them do other shit on occasion, maybe give them treasure maps as rewards.

You are being a little autistic, but there's nothing wrong with that. You're striving for the holy grail that we all strive for. Okay, maybe not, the idea of randomly determining everything doesn't appeal to me. For creatures, there's the Random Esoteric Creature Generator which should be somewhere in the Trove.

Does anyone have the faintest clue when The Driftwood Verses By Red Moon Medicine Show for Lamentations of the Flame Princess is coming out?

There was a kickstarter but its been more than a year and I didn't back it so I don't get updates.

Well, the Kickstarters last update says:

"Nov 27 2017: November Progress Report (FINAL PLAYTEST DOCUMENT)"

but I can't read it, since I'm not a backer.

Absolute noob here

I came across the GLoG and OSR in general not too long ago and I'm digging the fluid system mechanics. But, I do have a question about saving throws as it is described in the GLoG.

On page 7 of the V1.0 GLoG, it mentions that your save is 5 + level + Cha . Is that it? I guess I'm asking because it seems weird that CHA would dictate such a important factor of whether your character dies or not.

What if the player is holding back a boulder from crushing him and he must save vs becoming a pancake? You would think STR would be factored into the save instead, right?

I think I must be reading into it wrong (I have no experience with OSR games, so that might be a factor)

It's thematic flavor. It say's right there in the description.

"Your Save is equal to 5 + level + Cha bonus (because Charisma describes willpower and destiny) up to a max of 15 + Cha bonus. You roll it to test your fate: which basically boils down to resisting magic and getting lucky."

It's basically you giving the middle finger to death and fate.

The glog isn't OSR and anyone outside this general will tell you the same.
There's one notable here who insists it is, and he grew a posse.

>Is that it?
Yes that is it. He actually makes a pretty interesting case for it, but I'll agree it's an odd choice.
>What if the player is holding back a boulder from crushing him and he must save vs becoming a pancake?
It's important to remember what a save is intended to be. The meaning has changed for RPGs, but this is more of a wargaming save.
Either your character can or cannot hold back the boulder. That's not a save event.

Gotcha, so for things like the aforementioned boulder analogy, you'd probably do a strength check to see if your character could hold it back or not. So saves should usually be reserved for things like resist spells and such.

>It's important to remember what a save is intended to be. The meaning has changed for RPGs, but this is more of a wargaming save.
Either your character can or cannot hold back the boulder. That's not a save event.
Ok, that makes sense.

A save could be used for lots of things. Not getting killed by a trap might work, You could make a case for avoiding a trap, but it's debatable.
Saves are a bit more than blind luck. The intent is along the lines of "do you overcome something that you could but reasonably shouldn't."

Do people have experience with letting magic users hot-memorize spells in a dungeon with some risk? I was thinking of letting M-Us roll a desperate save vs magic, get the spell if they succseed, else take a damage roll. Maybe 1d6 per level of the spell?

Just use Gary's "cast spellbook pages like scrolls" rule, my dude.

I had someone explain that saves are for the cases when you fucked up and get the consequence (evil wizard's spell, stepping on a pit trap etc) but get one last chance to not get gimped.