Map: Cavern 3

The Sigil of Pron

Often called "The Inverted Rose".  These caverns represent the home of Pron, a powerful demon.

Convention Games 2: Critical Hits & Failures

An rpg convention game is different than campaign play at home. Currently I am working on a tournament/convention edition of my adventure module, THE BLASHPEMOUS BREWERY OF PILZ! In this post I explain two House Rules I plan to include at this year’s Gencon, examples of play, and the reasons I have for including them in convention play using Labyrinth Lord Basic.

At a convention I don’t know who my players are and I don’t know what house rules, if any, they use. When a player signs up for one of my games, they only know the system. It behooves me, then, to both minimize house rules and provide a clear explanation of what the house rules are before gameplay begins. This creates a comfortable common ground from which an exciting adventure may grow.

Convention Rule: Critical Hits

Anytime a natural twenty is rolled on a d20 attack roll, the attacker may roll to attack again. Normal damage is rolled for every successful hit. This effect may stack and is accumulative.

Example: Aaron is playing Ogarn the fighter. Ogarn attacks an orc (gasp!) and rolls a natural twenty. He rolls a second time and (gasp!) rolls a second unmodified twenty! He rolls a third time and the outcome is a 17, which is high enough to hit, but is not a natural twenty, so Aaron stops rolling to attack and now rolls 3d6 (1d6 + 1d6 + 1d6) to determine the total damage dealt by his long sword.

Reason: Rolling dice is fun. My role as a convention Labyrinth Lord (Gamemaster) is to celebrate the players and help them have a fun time. This doesn’t mean giving them an automatic hit each time or making them incapable of dying, but it does mean giving them the occasional opportunity to do something spectacular. In this case, the probability of rolling a twenty on a single roll is 5% (1/20). The probability of rolling two twenties in a row (as in my example above) is 0.25% (1/20*1/20=1/400). This means that there is likely to be several natural twenties in the course of a typical two to three hour convention game with several encounters. It also means that it is very unlikely to have a character roll two criticals in a row. So, it won’t throw the mechanics off too much, but will create several memorable attacks for the players.

Convention Rule: Critical Fumble

Anytime a natural one is rolled on a d20 attack roll, the attacker must make a paralyze saving throw. If the saving throw is successful, nothing else happens. If the saving throw is unsuccessful, the character may not act on their next turn.

Example: Cameron is playing Izzy the Wizard. Izzy has used all of his spells (and isn’t using my awesome magic user gonzo rules), so he decides to attack a snarling orc with his dagger (gasp!). Cameron rolls a natural one (gasp!). Cameron now rolls a four, well below his paralyze saving throw number. Izzy is incapable of doing anything his next turn. The orc gets a free attack and…

Reason: This adds a bit of danger to the game. It’s also a nice bookend to the natural twenty convention rule (above). I also like that this gives the Labyrinth Lord wiggle room. If, in the example above, Izzy only has three hit points left, I, as the Labyrinth Lord, may choose to have the orc attack someone else to prevent a death. Or, maybe I won’t. What’s important is that I have a choice to drive the game in the direction I want without blatantly breaking rules and immersion.

Question for You: What house rules do you think are particularly valuable at a convention game?

Speaking of conventions, Happy Jacks most recent podcast is all about convention games. If you haven’t listened to this rpg podcast yet, I highly recommend it.

Zelda = D&D: The Province of Sleepwalkers

Pack of Gnolls posted this cool article link about how Zelda, the video game, has changed for the worse over the years.  Sully proposes that the article, while focusing on a video game, gives voice to an analogous OSR argument about how D&D  has changed.

To that end, I made the following substitutions for several paragraphs:

Video game title = D&D
Hyrule = D&D
Miyamoto = Gary Gygax
Link = Player Characters
Screen = Dungeon

Each substitution is noted by brackets.

"It's only gotten worse over the years. [D&D 4.0], with its segregated, recycled areas and puzzly overworld dungeons, is not an outlier; it is the culmination of years of reducing the world to a series of bottlenecks, to a kiddie theme park... But a world is not one predetermined sequence after another, and a world is not a puzzle with a single solution. A world is more than a space, more than a place; it is something to inhabit and be inhabited by. What you infuse a space with to make it habitable, to make it memorable (since memory is profoundly spatial), gives the place its character, its soul.

Tolkien knew this. His landscapes speak more convincingly than his characters. And [Gary Gygax] knew this too. The … discovery of secret caves makes perfect sense when you play the original [D&D]. That spirit of wonder, of potential secrets on [in] every [dungeon], permeated the map (and even the instruction booklet – it discreetly placed hints on the bottom of the page, inviting the player to pay attention because the hidden was everywhere). The rules of [OD&D] were not at all clear to its first visitors, and one of the greatest pleasures came in intuiting the underlying logic... The very existence of a second quest that remixed all the dungeons and all the secrets spoke of a world that was open and supple. The magic of the first [OD&D] was not locked down, given to a single iteration. It was its own sequel. It seemed like it could go on forever.

It did not. If [D&D] is to reclaim any of the spirit that [Gary Gygax] first invested in its world, it needs to do a few things. It needs to make most of the map accessible from the beginning. No artificial barriers to clumsily guide [Player Characters] along a set course. Players know that game; they know when they're being played. [Player Characters] must be allowed to enter areas [they’re] not ready for. [They] must be allowed to be defeated, not blocked, by the world and its inhabitants.

This world, dangerous, demanding exploration, must also be mysterious. This means: illegible, at least at first. [Player Characters] needs new unstated rules, ones that must be relearned, even by [Player Character] veterans like myself. How can you truly explore if you know how everything works already? How can you ever be surprised if every ‘secret' is conspicuously marked as such? [D&D] needs space to breathe, fields of purposeless grandeur… where secrets could be anywhere because they're not obviously right there. What is an adventure if not a journey through an unknown landscape? It's not a retread across familiar ground, the car ride to work, the province of sleepwalkers."

Gonzo Fighters Reflection

After some reflection, I’ve decided to re-write my gonzo fighter.

This method will create fighters that can destroy and defend from the most powerful foes one moment and be reduced to withered and decrepit invalids content with telling stories of long-past battles the next. While gonzo clerics and magic users can cast spell after spell each round, a fighter in my gonzo system can repeatedly cause a devastating amount of damage in a single moment of battle. They may also effectively defend against innumerable immensely powerful attacks. However, every time a fighter attempts to do so, they put their life and livelihoods on the line.

Step 1: Fighters may regain 1d6 Strength and Dexterity each time they ascend a level, but not exceed 18.

Step 2: Fighters can multiply their attack damage by any bonus factor of their choice between one and their Strength attribute. They must, however, declare this intent before rolling to hit. If the hit attempt is unsuccessful, the fighter permanently loses Strength points equal to the bonus factor. If the hit attempt is successful, the fighter rolls normal damage and then multiplies it by the bonus factor.

Step 3: Fighters may improve their Armor Class by any number not exceeding their current Dexterity attribute at the start of each round. They must, declare this intent before any monster rolls to hit. The fighter must make a save versus Paraylze. If the save is successful, the fighter’s Armor Class is modified by the declared number for the duration of the round. If the save is unsuccessful, the fighter’s Dexterity attribute is permanently reduced by the earlier declared number.

Step 4: If a fighter’s Dexterity or Strength becomes zero, they are crippled and unable to fight ever again and are, thereafter, forever controlled by the referee.

Gencon 2012 Meet-Up Update

As of 2/18/12 thirteen different RPG bloggers have signed in via my Gencon 2012 Meet-Up spreadsheet. If you’re interested in meeting some fellow RPG bloggers at Gencon this year, you can submit your information HERE.

I also give any blogger permission to use the image above if they want to provide a link to the sign in sheet.

I will post updates and other information more often the closer we get to Gencon dates.

The sign-in link is: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dGFaRmg0NHBGdTF6bkE2OXp4LVZTSkE6MQ#gid=0

Gonzo Your D&D

I compiled my disperate posts on my gonzo mechanics into a single illustrated PDF.  You can find it by clicking HERE or by scrolling to the bottom right-hand side of my blog under "Miscellaneous".  Did I mention that it's free?

Even though this product (and many others I host here on Digital Orc) is free, I am selling my first self-published fantasy adventure module for the low price of $2.99.  Why don't you check it out by clicking HERE?  All income generated from my sales are reinvested into the online RPG community.

Gonzo Fighter

This is the last in my Gonzo house rule series. See links below for my magic user and cleric rules.

This method will create fighters that can destroy the most powerful foes one moment and withered and wilted decrepit invalids content with telling stories of long-past battles the next. While clerics and magic users can cast spell after spell each round, a fighter in my gonzo system can repeatedly cause a devastating amount of damage in a single moment of battle. However, every time a fighter attempts to do so, they put their life and livelihoods on the line.

Step 1:  Fighters may regain 1d6 Strength each time they ascend a level, but not exceed 18.

Step 2:   Fighters can multiply their attack damage by any bonus factor of their choice between one and their Strength attribute. They must, however, declare this intent before rolling to hit. If the hit attempt is unsuccessful, the fighter permanently loses Strength points equal to the bonus factor. If the hit attempt is successful, the fighter rolls normal damage and then multiplies it by the bonus factor. If a fighter’s strength becomes zero, they are crippled and unable to fight ever again and are, thereafter, forever controlled by the referee.

Example 1: Jacomus, a level five fighter with a +1 magical sword, attacks Durjaya, a Red Dragon, with a long sword. He declares a bonus factor of twelve and rolls a seventeen, hitting the foul beast. Next he rolls a five on the 1d8 for damage. Because 5*12>51, Durjaya is destroyed in a single round.

Example 2: Jacomus (same attributes as above) rolls a seven with the same bonus factor declaration (12). Because it’s a failure, Jacomus’ Strength attribute permanently changes from the original 15 to 3 and Durjaya takes no damage.

Click for...

Gonzo Magic Users

Gonzo Clerics

Two Clerics One Chalice

Two Clerics One Chalice is also known as the Book You Can’t Unread. It is an illustrated cursed tome written by the Demon-Lord, Pron. Lurid, obscene, and shockingly detailed, it describes the desecration and subsequent atrocious fetishistic acts of two, previously, holy and lawful female clerics. It is rumored to be based on true events detailing a particular triumphal evening of Pron. Others claim it is fiction. Regardless, its power cannot be denied even if it is clouded in myth.

Anyone coming within thirty feet of the terrible tome must make a save versus spell-like-device. If the save is successful, the character feels a disturbing and evil presence and immediately becomes nauseous. If the save is unsuccessful, the character becomes charmed by the book and cannot help themselves from immediately finding and reading it in its entirety. Afterwards, they become uncontrollably ill for 2d4 days and suffer a -1 to all rolls for the same period of time. The character will also keep the book in their belongings until they can give it to someone who has not read it, preferring those of Lawful alignment.

Author's Note:  While I restrained myself from drawing Pron, I couldn't help myself to do an illustration to accompany this post.  Turned out pretty good, I think.

Monster: Demon Pron

I saw this today at the Underworld Cleaning Service and I wanted to clarify what he meant by "Pron" since many of you are probably uninitiated:

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Pron
No. Enc.: 1
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 180’ (60’)
Armor Class: 2
Hit Dice: 10
Attacks: 4 (2 claws, 1 whip, 1 spell)
Damage: 1d8 poison, 1d12 hold person, spell
Save: F10
Morale: 4
Hoard Class: XVIII + 15,000 gp
XP: 3,500

Pron is a powerful demon-lord residing in the fourth level of a hell-like dimension. Known for his sadistic pleasures and predilection for torturing hapless dungeon crawlers, Pron is often found in the company of several bound succubae. He is never found without his barbed whip.

 Pron stands fifteen feet tall with a human-like torso and the legs of a goat. A gigantic, curved, blood-red horn also bursts from his forehead. His black, razor-like fingernails inject a killing poison. Once per night he can cast the following spells, Imprisonment, Irresistible Dance, Mass Charm, Polymorph Any Object, Project Image, Shape Change and Teleport.

He is also credited with authoring several obscene, but highly sought-after underworld tomes, including his two most famous, “Two Clerics, One Chalice” and “Behind the Green Portcullis”. Clerics fear him, fighters fall to him, and Republicans around the world seek his destruction. If wounded or intimidated, however, he will surely flee.

Even though this horrible monsters (and many others I host here on Digital Orc) is free, I am selling my first self-published fantasy adventure module for the low price of $2.99. Why don't you check it out by clicking HERE? All income generated from my sales are reinvested into the online RPG community.
Dear Readers,

I could not bring myself to draw Pron for fear he would see my pitiful attempts. If you, however, can bring yourself to bring crayon to paper, please email me the results and I will post them for the world to see.

Creating Memorable & Consistent NPCs

This is a simple technique for creating unique and memorable non-player characters (NPCs). Print and cut a series of pictures of characters from movies that are memorable. Keep them stacked and hidden behind the Game Master’s screen. At no time do the player characters (PCs) see these pictures. 

When a NPC is needed, simply pull from the pile, dash their name and maybe a quick note on the bottom and lay it on the Game Master’s side of the screen. The NPC assumes the majority of the unique characteristics of that movie character. If the PCs encounter that same NPC at a far later time, simply pull the card out again, look at the picture and brief notes as a reminder.

What is the result? NPCs that are unique with consistent and memorable characteristics. Because they’re behind the screen, rarely will it register with the players, especially if you carefully tweak the giveaways.

Below are a few I use for examples I use.

Gonzo Clerics

Bored with your everyday Cleric do-gooder? Add an element of faith to turn your pious and pure turner of the undead into an astonishing beacon of holy power one minute and a cowering atheist the next by following the steps below.

Step 1: Rename “Charisma” as “Faith”. Use “Faith” as the check number for all social interactions and retainer probabilities. Clerics may regain 1d4 Faith once at each level, but not exceed 18.

Step 2: Rename cleric spells as “prayers”.

Step 3: Clerics may cast any Cleric spell (prayer) of any level as many times as they want. They must, however, make a spell saving throw to pray successfully. If successful, the prayer works as described with no ill effects. If unsuccessful, the prayer does not work and the Cleric permanently loses Faith points equal to the prayer level. Once Faith is zero, the character has lost all Faith and may not pray successfully ever again.

Optional Step 4: The spell (prayer) level number represents the number of rounds it takes to perform. Make the saving throw at the end, immediately before spell (prayer) activation.

What is the result of this house rule? Powerful, but schizophrenic, religious fanatics who can destroy legions of undead without pause, only to permanently lose all faith healing a sick beggar on the way back to town.

OSR Meet-Up At Gencon!

I'm going to Gencon this year and would love to game with some of you fellow OSR bloggers.  I don't know if there is an official meet-up site for us Grognards, but I went ahead and started THIS.  You can join by filling out the form below.  It's basically just a sign up sheet in which you're publically saying, "Yes, I'm going to Gencon and would like to meet some fellow OSR bloggers."  It will update in real-time, so you can check the spreadsheet from time to time to see any changes.  It's a fairly easy way to organize those of us who are going to Gencon and would like to share a pint or roll some dice wtih like-minded old-school players.

If something like this already exsits, let  me know.  Otherwise, help me out and pass the word.  Even if you're not planning on attending, let other grognards know so they can sign up if they want.  Crowd-sourcing is always a sketchy thing.  We'll see how it goes.  If you want to help, you can send people this blog post link.

Convention Editions

I wrote and published my first for-sale Labyrinth Lord module a couple of months ago. It’s called THE BLASPHEMOUS BREWERY OF PILZ! I’m hoping to run it three times at Gencon this year. To that end, I received my second email confirmation in the on-going process two days ago. As soon as Gencon sends approval that the games are finalized, I will write a post explaining how to register.

I’m also thinking of creating a print convention edition of the adventure for sale only at Gencon. It would include the original adventure along with materials I use for convention games. Since the primary setting is a brewery, I’ll title it “Extra Stout Edition”. I’m considering adding the following items:

• Pilz Beer Mug
• Paper Miniature Cut-Outs
• HP Tracker
• Beer Bottle Labels
• Pilz Coasters
• New Afterward
• New Art
• Rearranged Tables and Maps
• Giant Fold-Out Map
• Laminated Grid
• Binder with Inserts
• Pilz Bottle Opener

I don’t kid myself to actually get all of these things. It’s just my brainstorm list.

 

Question 1: What are the important components of a convention edition?

 

Question 2: What extras do you like in your re-releases?

I Cast Word Cloud!

I used an online word cloud generator to make two word clouds.  Word clouds organize the text from a document or website into an interesting picture in which the size of each word is determined by the number of times it occurs in the entire text.  

The first cloud is derived from the complete text of Labyrinth Lord Basic.  The second is from my own published module, THE BLASPHEMOUS BREWERY OF PILZ!  For my module cloud, I removed the OGL and afterward text.  If you don't understand why I made the Pilz cloud in the shape of a beer mug, click HERE and find out before it's too late!

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Gonzo Magic Users

Want to spice up your magic users in a gonzo way? Look no further! Below is a simple recipe that will transform your ho-hum sorcerer of any level into a raging master sorcerer immensely powerful and feared one minute and a mewling lunatic clawing out his eyeballs while wetting himself in a dungeon corner the next.

Step 1: Rename Charisma as Sanity. Use Sanity as the check number for social encounters/skills. Magic Users may re-gain 1d4 Sanity points each level, but not exceed 18. [The first two sentences represent a name change only. If you don’t want to break from the hallowed six traditional characteristics, follow all the rules described herein, but continue to use “Charisma” as the term.]

Step 2: Magic Users may cast any spell of any level as many times as they want. They must, however, make a spell saving throw to cast each spell successfully. If successful, the spell works as described with no ill effects. If unsuccessful, the spell does not work, and the Magic User permanently loses Sanity points equal to the spell level. Once Sanity is zero, the character is insane and permanently transferred to the control of the DM.

What is the result of this house rule? Powerful, unbalanced, and inconsistent mad sorcerers who are objects of both extreme fear and pity.

Optional Step 3:  Print the list of spells from the game you're playing as a small booklet.  Hand it to your Magic User as their spell book.  Magic Users may spend one round looking up the spell they want to use.