Thinking about it more, the Paladin in my variants yesterday didn't seem sufficiently different from the normal cleric. I've tweaked it to look like this:
Paladin (Cleric Variant). The Paladin is like a Cleric in every respect except as follows. In weaponry they are limited to swords (one or two-handed), daggers and lances. They turn undead as a cleric one level lower (i.e., at first level they cannot turn at all), but they are entitled to one more first-level Cleric spell per day than normal Clerics, which they receive at first level. The Paladin must be Lawful in alignment.
Showing posts with label White Box. Show all posts
Showing posts with label White Box. Show all posts
Monday, July 24, 2017
Sunday, July 23, 2017
Simple Class Variants for White Box
I'm thinking about bringing some simple class variants into my White Box game. Here's what I've come up with so far.
Paladin (Cleric Variant). The Paladin is like a Cleric in every respect except as follows. In weaponry they are limited to swords (one or two-handed), daggers, and lances. They turn undead as a cleric one level lower (i.e., at first level they cannot turn at all), but they are entitled to one more first-level Cleric spell per day than normal Clerics, which they receive at first level. The Paladin must be Lawful in alignment.
Druid (Cleric Variant). The Druid is like a cleric in every respect except as follows. They are limited to leather armor, may only use clubs, staves, or daggers, and instead of turning undead, they "calm animals" using the turn undead table ("turned" results mean the animals flee, "destroyed" results mean the animals become calm or even submissive). Additionally, Druids are entitled to one more first-level Cleric spell per day than normal Clerics, which they receive at first level. The Druid must be Neutral in alignment.
Illusionist (Magic-User Variant). The Illusionist is like a Magic-User in every respect except that certain spells are treated as being one spell-level lower while others are treated as being one level higher. Spells treated as one level lower are: Phantasmal Force (1), Charm Monster (3), Confusion (3), Hallucinatory Terrain (3), Feeblemind (4), Project Image (5). Spells treated one level higher are: Magic Missile* (2), Sleep (2), Web (3), Fireball (4), Hold Person (4), Lightning Bolt (4), Cloudkill (6), Hold Monster (6).
Ranger (Thief Variant). The Ranger is like a Thief in every respect except as follows. Rangers are limited to bows (long or short), one-handed swords, one-handed axes, and daggers. The Thievery ability is replaced by "Woodcraft," enabling the Ranger to move silently, hide in shadows, hunt and trap, forage, track, and identify plants and animals. Rangers cannot back stab, but are surprised less frequently than other characters, and they get +1 when binding wounds (self or others). Only humans can be Rangers. The Ranger must be Neutral in alignment.
Some may be surprised that my Ranger and Paladin are not based on the Fighter class, but on the Thief and Cleric. This is because I wanted to ensure that no class could match the straight Fighter in combat bonuses, hit points or weapon (and armor) variety.
*I have Magic Missile in my White Box game as a house rule.
Paladin (Cleric Variant). The Paladin is like a Cleric in every respect except as follows. In weaponry they are limited to swords (one or two-handed), daggers, and lances. They turn undead as a cleric one level lower (i.e., at first level they cannot turn at all), but they are entitled to one more first-level Cleric spell per day than normal Clerics, which they receive at first level. The Paladin must be Lawful in alignment.
Druid (Cleric Variant). The Druid is like a cleric in every respect except as follows. They are limited to leather armor, may only use clubs, staves, or daggers, and instead of turning undead, they "calm animals" using the turn undead table ("turned" results mean the animals flee, "destroyed" results mean the animals become calm or even submissive). Additionally, Druids are entitled to one more first-level Cleric spell per day than normal Clerics, which they receive at first level. The Druid must be Neutral in alignment.
Illusionist (Magic-User Variant). The Illusionist is like a Magic-User in every respect except that certain spells are treated as being one spell-level lower while others are treated as being one level higher. Spells treated as one level lower are: Phantasmal Force (1), Charm Monster (3), Confusion (3), Hallucinatory Terrain (3), Feeblemind (4), Project Image (5). Spells treated one level higher are: Magic Missile* (2), Sleep (2), Web (3), Fireball (4), Hold Person (4), Lightning Bolt (4), Cloudkill (6), Hold Monster (6).
Ranger (Thief Variant). The Ranger is like a Thief in every respect except as follows. Rangers are limited to bows (long or short), one-handed swords, one-handed axes, and daggers. The Thievery ability is replaced by "Woodcraft," enabling the Ranger to move silently, hide in shadows, hunt and trap, forage, track, and identify plants and animals. Rangers cannot back stab, but are surprised less frequently than other characters, and they get +1 when binding wounds (self or others). Only humans can be Rangers. The Ranger must be Neutral in alignment.
Some may be surprised that my Ranger and Paladin are not based on the Fighter class, but on the Thief and Cleric. This is because I wanted to ensure that no class could match the straight Fighter in combat bonuses, hit points or weapon (and armor) variety.
*I have Magic Missile in my White Box game as a house rule.
Saturday, July 1, 2017
Wasteland of Gath: The Pit
Played session 2 of +Christian Walker's Wasteland of Gath game, and had a blast again. Here's the report (again with some phrasing here and there borrowed from Christian's own post):
THE PIT
Shank and Kerg left the bus and headed down the barren road. It wasn't long before Kerg had to answer the call of nature and rushed forward to a massive pothole in the road to do so.
"Aw, just use that bush over there!" said Shank.
But Kerg ignored him and headed to the edge of the hole. Looking in he jumped back in shock and fright. "Jesus Christ!"
Shank drew his weapons as Kerg ran back toward him. There came a terrible moaning from the pit and out of it emerged three nightmare creatures. The foul things had pinkish-gray skin and were about a dwarf's height, maybe smaller, with long, spindly limbs. Seeing their sharp, bony claws, drooping facial skin, and pointed teeth, Shank realized they were witch-spawn.
He remembered the stories the old man – the one who taught him to steal – used to tell him: "On the night of a new moon, witches squat in damp holes and lay clutches of eggs. The witches often return at a later date to see how their brood has fared. The strongest are brought back to the witch's lair to serve as guards."
The creatures shambled forward toward Shank and Kerg. Shank threw a dagger that went wide, and Kerg shot at one with his crossbow. The creatures moved very sluggishly.
"They're slow!" called Shank. "Keep your distance from them and keep shooting. Don't let them close on you!"
Shank dashed behind a bush, and nearly ran headlong into a wasteland mutant who was already hiding there. The mutant dropped the bucket he was holding and a number of severed hands and feet spilled out onto the ground. Before Shank could react, the mutant took off running down the road.
"No time to deal with that now," thought Shank, who turned his attention back to helping Kerg with the fleshlings.
The man and the dwarf ran and dodged, bobbed and weaved. Kerg would sprint to a new position and reload. Shank tried to draw the witch-spawn across Kerg's field of shot as the dwarf released another bolt. Then they did it all over again.
One of the fleshlings finally went down with a bolt through its chest. But at the same time another monster closed on Kerg. He tried to release another bolt, but missed wildly. Shank ran up to the creature and transpierced it from behind.
Seeing its two brothers slain, the third ran back to its pit in the middle of the road, where it rocked back and forth convulsively, covering its head with its arms. Shank and Kerg approached the pit carefully. Shank threw his dagger, and Kerg shot his crossbow. That was the end of the third witch-spawn.
The two rogues found the pit was filled with tar, and littered with the skeletal remains of various humans and humanoids. Neither man nor dwarf had the stomach to rummage through the tar and bones.
They went back to the bush and examined the bucket and its contents. Perhaps the mutant was feeding the monsters. Perhaps he'd been scavenging to feed himself. The thieves found both options unsettling.
On the road, Shank and Kerg examined an odd human skull that was about 60% bone and 40% aquamarine. They picked it up to take with them.
Looking over at the metal door from one of the metal carriages that seemed to litter the road, Shank asked Kerg to help him flip it over. In a compartment on the inner side of the door the two found a bottle of spirits with healing properties – there were two doses remaining.
Scanning the horizon in the direction of the mutant's flight, Shank and Kerg spied a metal shack, toward which the mutant was still fleeing. Shank called out to the mutant, and held up the bucket as an offering to show he meant no harm to the fellow. The mutant panicked and ran even faster into the shack. Shank put the bucket back down on the side of the road.
"I'm not sure I like the look of that shack," said Shank. "If that creature was feeding the fleshlings, he may be serving some witch, and she may be near. I say we move on, and quickly."
"You'll get no argument from me, friend Shank," replied Kerg.
THE PIT
Shank and Kerg left the bus and headed down the barren road. It wasn't long before Kerg had to answer the call of nature and rushed forward to a massive pothole in the road to do so.
"Aw, just use that bush over there!" said Shank.
But Kerg ignored him and headed to the edge of the hole. Looking in he jumped back in shock and fright. "Jesus Christ!"
Shank drew his weapons as Kerg ran back toward him. There came a terrible moaning from the pit and out of it emerged three nightmare creatures. The foul things had pinkish-gray skin and were about a dwarf's height, maybe smaller, with long, spindly limbs. Seeing their sharp, bony claws, drooping facial skin, and pointed teeth, Shank realized they were witch-spawn.
The creatures shambled forward toward Shank and Kerg. Shank threw a dagger that went wide, and Kerg shot at one with his crossbow. The creatures moved very sluggishly.
"They're slow!" called Shank. "Keep your distance from them and keep shooting. Don't let them close on you!"
Shank dashed behind a bush, and nearly ran headlong into a wasteland mutant who was already hiding there. The mutant dropped the bucket he was holding and a number of severed hands and feet spilled out onto the ground. Before Shank could react, the mutant took off running down the road.
Shank encounters a mutant behind the bush, as the fleshlings emerge from the pit.
"No time to deal with that now," thought Shank, who turned his attention back to helping Kerg with the fleshlings.
The man and the dwarf ran and dodged, bobbed and weaved. Kerg would sprint to a new position and reload. Shank tried to draw the witch-spawn across Kerg's field of shot as the dwarf released another bolt. Then they did it all over again.
Dashing around the battlefield, Shank and Kerg keep their distance from the witch-spawn.
The mutant has run off the map.
One of the fleshlings finally went down with a bolt through its chest. But at the same time another monster closed on Kerg. He tried to release another bolt, but missed wildly. Shank ran up to the creature and transpierced it from behind.
Shank stabs a witch-spawn in the back.
Seeing its two brothers slain, the third ran back to its pit in the middle of the road, where it rocked back and forth convulsively, covering its head with its arms. Shank and Kerg approached the pit carefully. Shank threw his dagger, and Kerg shot his crossbow. That was the end of the third witch-spawn.
The two rogues found the pit was filled with tar, and littered with the skeletal remains of various humans and humanoids. Neither man nor dwarf had the stomach to rummage through the tar and bones.
They went back to the bush and examined the bucket and its contents. Perhaps the mutant was feeding the monsters. Perhaps he'd been scavenging to feed himself. The thieves found both options unsettling.
On the road, Shank and Kerg examined an odd human skull that was about 60% bone and 40% aquamarine. They picked it up to take with them.
Looking over at the metal door from one of the metal carriages that seemed to litter the road, Shank asked Kerg to help him flip it over. In a compartment on the inner side of the door the two found a bottle of spirits with healing properties – there were two doses remaining.
Scanning the horizon in the direction of the mutant's flight, Shank and Kerg spied a metal shack, toward which the mutant was still fleeing. Shank called out to the mutant, and held up the bucket as an offering to show he meant no harm to the fellow. The mutant panicked and ran even faster into the shack. Shank put the bucket back down on the side of the road.
"I'm not sure I like the look of that shack," said Shank. "If that creature was feeding the fleshlings, he may be serving some witch, and she may be near. I say we move on, and quickly."
"You'll get no argument from me, friend Shank," replied Kerg.
Sunday, June 18, 2017
Walking the Road into the Wasteland of Gath
I think everyone that's going to play +Christian Walker's first Road through Gath scenario has done so, here's Shank's version of it (with some lines borrowed from Christian's account). I may be wrong about everyone being done so here is a SPOILER ALERT:
WASTELAND OF GATH ENCOUNTER I: Shank Hits the Road
"Screw this place," thought Shank moodily, "Even the wasteland's got to offer something better." The thief started walking down the road to nowhere with a sense of glum purpose.
Shank approached and spoke to the dwarf whose name was Kerg, a fellow down-on-his-luck rogue. With tragic pasts and a shared vocation, the two thieves immediately felt the bonds of professional honor and co-dependency. Man and dwarf plunged together into the wastes.
After a time, the pair came upon a larger ruined metal carriage, turned on its side. They approached with caution and soon heard a rattling of chains coming from the front of the vehicle. The adventurers flattened themselves against the now-vertical underside of the iron hulk, as two skeletons emerged from its front end. The foul things were clad in orange jumpsuits and swung their chains and shackles like flails.
The undead were quicker than they appeared and closed rapidly on the two rogues. Shank threw his dagger, which slipped from his hand and flew wildly over the skeletons' heads. He then dashed across the road to hide behind a bush. Kerg stood his ground, leveled his crossbow, and took a skeleton's head clean off with his first bolt.
The remaining skeleton closed on Kerg and whipped the now cowering dwarf with its chain. Shank rushed forward from hiding and smote the skeleton from behind with his short sword.
Shank and Kerg searched the area and found a skull with two gold ingots embedded inside it. Recovering his dagger, Shank pried the ingots out, and tossed one to Kerg.
"You earned this," he told the surprised dwarf.
The two rogues clambered up onto the side of the overturned vehicle. Peering through broken windows they discovered ten more skeletons, still shackled to their seats but quite animated. Shank examined the writing on the side of the massive carriage and to his astonishment found he could read it: "DEPT. OF CORRECTION."
"I know what this is," declared Shank. "It's a prison transport. These fellows must have been shackled here for ages."
"Poor bastards," muttered Kerg.
The thieves thought it wiser to stay clear of skeletal prisoners' grasp, and instead passed forward to examine unmoving remains of the two uniformed guards in the front compartment. Shank pulled two gold rings off their fingers, and again tossed one to the dwarf, who once more looked surprised.
"We're in this together," said Shank. "Share and share alike. That's the deal, right?"
"What do we do with the rest of them?" asked Kerg. The sound of skeletal agitation grew louder, as if protesting the presence of the living. "It sounds like they might break free at any moment."
Shank thought before replying. "I don't want to leave them here. Even if we get a fair distance before they break free, they're as like as not to catch up and surprise us in our camp as we sleep. We'd best burn this thing."
The two ruffians stuffed all the dried vegetation they could find into the openings of the massive horseless carriage, doused it all with oil and struck a spark. The massive hulk was soon completely engulfed in flames.
Without looking back, Shank and Kerg took to the road once more.
IF YOU'RE ONE OF CHRISTIAN'S PLAYERS AND HAVEN'T YET DONE THE ENCOUNTER FROM TOLLING OF THE GREAT BLACK BELL No. 26, DON'T READ ANY FURTHER.
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WASTELAND OF GATH ENCOUNTER I: Shank Hits the Road
"Screw this place," thought Shank moodily, "Even the wasteland's got to offer something better." The thief started walking down the road to nowhere with a sense of glum purpose.
After a short march, Shank came upon a strange metallic, horseless carriage. Inside was a dwarf banging his head repeatedly on a wheel that Shank could only presume was once meant to guide the ruined vehicle.
Shank approached and spoke to the dwarf whose name was Kerg, a fellow down-on-his-luck rogue. With tragic pasts and a shared vocation, the two thieves immediately felt the bonds of professional honor and co-dependency. Man and dwarf plunged together into the wastes.
After a time, the pair came upon a larger ruined metal carriage, turned on its side. They approached with caution and soon heard a rattling of chains coming from the front of the vehicle. The adventurers flattened themselves against the now-vertical underside of the iron hulk, as two skeletons emerged from its front end. The foul things were clad in orange jumpsuits and swung their chains and shackles like flails.
The undead were quicker than they appeared and closed rapidly on the two rogues. Shank threw his dagger, which slipped from his hand and flew wildly over the skeletons' heads. He then dashed across the road to hide behind a bush. Kerg stood his ground, leveled his crossbow, and took a skeleton's head clean off with his first bolt.
The remaining skeleton closed on Kerg and whipped the now cowering dwarf with its chain. Shank rushed forward from hiding and smote the skeleton from behind with his short sword.
Shank and Kerg searched the area and found a skull with two gold ingots embedded inside it. Recovering his dagger, Shank pried the ingots out, and tossed one to Kerg.
"You earned this," he told the surprised dwarf.
The two rogues clambered up onto the side of the overturned vehicle. Peering through broken windows they discovered ten more skeletons, still shackled to their seats but quite animated. Shank examined the writing on the side of the massive carriage and to his astonishment found he could read it: "DEPT. OF CORRECTION."
"I know what this is," declared Shank. "It's a prison transport. These fellows must have been shackled here for ages."
"Poor bastards," muttered Kerg.
The thieves thought it wiser to stay clear of skeletal prisoners' grasp, and instead passed forward to examine unmoving remains of the two uniformed guards in the front compartment. Shank pulled two gold rings off their fingers, and again tossed one to the dwarf, who once more looked surprised.
"We're in this together," said Shank. "Share and share alike. That's the deal, right?"
"What do we do with the rest of them?" asked Kerg. The sound of skeletal agitation grew louder, as if protesting the presence of the living. "It sounds like they might break free at any moment."
Shank thought before replying. "I don't want to leave them here. Even if we get a fair distance before they break free, they're as like as not to catch up and surprise us in our camp as we sleep. We'd best burn this thing."
The two ruffians stuffed all the dried vegetation they could find into the openings of the massive horseless carriage, doused it all with oil and struck a spark. The massive hulk was soon completely engulfed in flames.
Without looking back, Shank and Kerg took to the road once more.
Shank Survived!
Not going to give a report right now, because I know others may be playing the same scenario in Christian's game. But I am happy to report that Shank survived his first encounter in the wasteland! Once I'm sure that everyone who's going to play this scenario has done so, I'll post a session report.
I had a great time playing in +Christian Walker's encounter -- it really was a blast!
Thanks again for running it, Christian.
I had a great time playing in +Christian Walker's encounter -- it really was a blast!
Thanks again for running it, Christian.
A Thief Named Shank
About to play in a quick game with +Christian Walker.
My character is a thief named Shank. I cranked out the paint job on the mini this morning.
All rolled up strictly by the book (3d6 in order, 1d6 for hp, etc.). With a whopping 2 hp, I'm not sure how long Shank is for this world.
My character is a thief named Shank. I cranked out the paint job on the mini this morning.
And here's his character sheet:
Friday, February 10, 2017
White Box: Additional Demi-Human Class Options
Same exercise this afternoon as yesterday, only this time for White Box, rather than for D&D B/X.
Dwarven Cleric
- Max. level 6, prime req. WIS.
- Take ½ damage vs. large, keen detection, save bonus, and languages as dwarves.
- Armor, weapons, turning, spells, hit bonus, and additional save bonus as clerics.
- XP/HD as per table below.
Elven Thief (spellcasting, similar to elf "variant" fighter)
- Max. level 8, prime reqs. INT and DEX (XP bonus cannot exceed 15%).
- Bonus vs. humanoids/intelligent undead, ghoul immune, keen detection, languages, spells
as "elf variant."
- Armor, weapons, thievery, backstab, hit bonus, and additional save bonus as thieves.
- XP/HD as per table below.
Halfling Thief
- Max. level 7, prime req. DEX.
- Take ½ damage vs. large, missile bonus, near invisibility, and save bonus as halflings.
- Armor, weapons, thievery, backstab, hit bonus, and additional save bonus as thieves.
- XP/HD as per table below.
Some rationale on how I set these up:
EDIT: I actually misread the White Box rules, which (unlike the OD&D Greyhawk supplement) do not allow unlimited advancement for thieves of any race. So the rationale I originally had re: setting a level limit at all is irrelevant, and I've edited it out of this post. However, I've still set my level limit a bit higher for the halfling thief, so that he still does not does not surpass the halfing fighter in toe-to-toe combat ability (attack bonus or hp), but can nonetheless attain an overall higher level than halfling fighters, since it seemed to me they'd likely be a better thief than a fighter due to size and natural stealth.
The elf in my game is inherently magical, so the elven thief here again is a spellcasting hybrid just like the White Box "variant elf" (which I use). I lowered the XP value slightly, though. The spellcasting fighter "variant elf" gets better hp than a magic-user and can use all sorts of magic armor. My spellcasting thief gets the same hp as a magic-user and is limited to leather armor (magical or not). So while the fighter "variant elf" requires XP equal to double the number for a magic-user (which for second level is 500 xp more than the simple sum of fighter XP + magic-user XP), my spellcasting thief requires XP merely equal to thief XP + magic-user XP. I also stipulate that the total of all XP bonuses (for prime req., WIS, CHR) cannot exceed 15%, which is how I run the normal spellcasting fighter "variant elf."
For dwarves, well, I just like the idea of the dwarven cleric. And no dwarven thieves at all. In my world a civilization built on mining and smithing precious metals and gems would beat every last larcenous tendency out of their children with extreme prejudice. Plus it's nice to have a demi-human option that is not a thief. So dwarven thieves are out; dwarven clerics are in. And the dwarven cleric works just fine by simply using normal cleric XP and capping the level at 6 like a by-the-book dwarven fighter.
Dwarven Cleric
- Max. level 6, prime req. WIS.
- Take ½ damage vs. large, keen detection, save bonus, and languages as dwarves.
- Armor, weapons, turning, spells, hit bonus, and additional save bonus as clerics.
- XP/HD as per table below.
Elven Thief (spellcasting, similar to elf "variant" fighter)
- Max. level 8, prime reqs. INT and DEX (XP bonus cannot exceed 15%).
- Bonus vs. humanoids/intelligent undead, ghoul immune, keen detection, languages, spells
as "elf variant."
- Armor, weapons, thievery, backstab, hit bonus, and additional save bonus as thieves.
- XP/HD as per table below.
Halfling Thief
- Max. level 7, prime req. DEX.
- Take ½ damage vs. large, missile bonus, near invisibility, and save bonus as halflings.
- Armor, weapons, thievery, backstab, hit bonus, and additional save bonus as thieves.
- XP/HD as per table below.
Some rationale on how I set these up:
EDIT: I actually misread the White Box rules, which (unlike the OD&D Greyhawk supplement) do not allow unlimited advancement for thieves of any race. So the rationale I originally had re: setting a level limit at all is irrelevant, and I've edited it out of this post. However, I've still set my level limit a bit higher for the halfling thief, so that he still does not does not surpass the halfing fighter in toe-to-toe combat ability (attack bonus or hp), but can nonetheless attain an overall higher level than halfling fighters, since it seemed to me they'd likely be a better thief than a fighter due to size and natural stealth.
The elf in my game is inherently magical, so the elven thief here again is a spellcasting hybrid just like the White Box "variant elf" (which I use). I lowered the XP value slightly, though. The spellcasting fighter "variant elf" gets better hp than a magic-user and can use all sorts of magic armor. My spellcasting thief gets the same hp as a magic-user and is limited to leather armor (magical or not). So while the fighter "variant elf" requires XP equal to double the number for a magic-user (which for second level is 500 xp more than the simple sum of fighter XP + magic-user XP), my spellcasting thief requires XP merely equal to thief XP + magic-user XP. I also stipulate that the total of all XP bonuses (for prime req., WIS, CHR) cannot exceed 15%, which is how I run the normal spellcasting fighter "variant elf."
For dwarves, well, I just like the idea of the dwarven cleric. And no dwarven thieves at all. In my world a civilization built on mining and smithing precious metals and gems would beat every last larcenous tendency out of their children with extreme prejudice. Plus it's nice to have a demi-human option that is not a thief. So dwarven thieves are out; dwarven clerics are in. And the dwarven cleric works just fine by simply using normal cleric XP and capping the level at 6 like a by-the-book dwarven fighter.
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