***Please note: Game rules are an evolving nuisance.  DM caveat applies.  That said, I will try to be a fair arbiter of the rules - this is meant to be fun!

Character Creation:

Roll % for level: 1-75% = 1st Level - 76-100% = 2nd Level  (yes, you read that right)

Attributes: Roll 4d6 6 times, drop lowest, reroll 1's...This will give you a good range of scores to choose from.

Max hit points for all characters at first level except Rangers - they get max first hit die, second they roll.  Roll for hit points each level after 1st.

Characters come into the game fully equiped for adventuring, with 10 gold pieces each to their name.  Any reasonable supplies are included.

Characters may roll 1x for ONE Minor Magic item 1-50% = no - 51-100% = yes (helps w/ survivability at low levels.

Characters are given 300xp over level off the bat.

I will keep track of Experience in a separate thread, and calculate at appropriate times during the adventure (depending on the speed of the game).  I do score for good AND bad roleplaying.

I will be using rules from the following sources:
DMG
PHB
MM
MM2
FF
*UA - I will be using some, but not all rules from Unearthed Arcana:
   *magic items
   *weapons/armor/supplies
   *spell tables
   *status/social class
   *age and age adjustments
      **I will not be allowing Weapon Specialization

Character Class choices:
Fighter
Ranger
Cleric
Thief
Magic User
   *Multi-classing is allowed - no level limits.

Character Race Choices:
Human
Elf
Half Elf
Dwarf
Half Orc
Halfling
Gnome
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:46, Thu 18 Aug 2016.

On the nature of OSRIC & other AD&D spinoffs.

If you don't have the rule books, I think OSRIC still does a free download.  The rules are close, not exact.  In those instances where they clash, AD&D will take precedence.

Cleric spells: I allow for spontaneous casting of cure wounds spells (cure light, moderate (2d8), serious, critical and heal) by clerics, similar to the 3rd edition rules.  Cleric must pray for spells each day, choose the number/type of spells they want (useful, combat, defense, etc.), then change to a 'cure wounds' spell as opportunity arises.

For instance: Joe the cleric prays for and receives a Bless spell.  Combat starts, on the first hit, Tom the fighter gets dinged for 3 points of damage.  Rather than cast bless, Joe heals Tom for 5 points of healing - Tom gets 3 of course, and is back to full health.  Joe no longer has a spell available to him until he has the opportunity to rest and pray.  He does, however, have a mace with which to knock someone senseless...

Multi-class vs. Dual-class

If a player chooses to halt progress in one of his classes, they may do so without penalty.  Furthermore, they may continue to use skills learned in the old class.  AND, if they wish to progress in that class again in the future, they may do so, again without penalty.

My rationale: Knowledge stacks.  Although we lose skills we don't use as we age, the assumption here is that a: we're going through enough training to remain fresh at the level we attained, and if we're advancing, we're putting in the effort to learn the new skills gained as we advance in level.

I also did this because one of the gripes folks have with multi-classing is that they don't advance as quickly as their single class counterparts.

Fortunately, all of the characters thus far are demi-human and long lived.  So advancement shouldn't be as much an incentive to them.  As for their players...

Initiative:

Each character rolls his own initiative: d6 + any applicable dex adjustments.

Monster(s) roll one initiative. It is something of an equalizer when coming across very strong encounters.

I will amend that: since midway through Quesqueton, I've been rolling in blocks - when the party fought the hobgoblins, I gave the leader and the sergeants their own initiative - you guys were cruising, and the game wasn't challenging. I think if you review with the other players, they would agree.

To be frank, I've never done initiative round by round. Rpol's slow enough as it is.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:41, Sun 05 July 2020.

Silver vs. Silvered weps -

In my world a mundane weapon that is coated with silver counts the same as a 'silver' weapon.  A strike with a short sword that is silvered, for instance, does the same amount of damage as a silver short sword.

Experience Rules -

I am all for on the job training - I tend to think that hitting an opponent with a sword is far more practical than hitting a dummy that doesn't move.  Thus the rules for required training are suspended.  There may be times I enforce some sort of abridged schooling, say, for instance to acquire blind fighting, or tracking if you're not a ranger.  Otherwise, I'm all for rewarding you for survival and good game play (and, frankly, luck!).

Game Rule: The Shortbow

Typically, the short bow has a fire rate of 2 arrows per round. I am amending that rule as follows:

A player may declare that he is loosing one arrow in a round instead of two as a function of greater time taken to make a needed shot. The benefit to this is that the player character gets a +1 to hit bonus each time he declares his shot. This to hit bonus stacks with other bonuses, magical and non-magical. Furthermore, the player character can attempt a 'declared' shot at any time, including every round, if he so desires.

This benefit is only for the short bow, as it is the lightest to carry and easiest to draw, thus allowing for a bit of extra time to 'declare' the shot.

Let me know if you have any questions. Cheers.

Spell rules:

Study & meditation:

time for study and meditation - I give a flat rate, which seems fair, of 30 minutes per spell learned, w/ a cap of 4 total hours.

Calculating HP when Leveling up for Multi-class characters:

HOUSE RULE:

When multi-classed characters level up just one of their classes:

Roll your hit die on the dice roller, then divide by 2 and then add your constitution modifier. For example, Bob the Builder levels up in fighter, but not thief. He rolls a six on his HP roll then divides by 2 = 3HP earned for advancing a level. THEN he adds his constitution modifier which is +3 for a fighter w/ a 17 constitution. The total HP received for Bob is 6HP to add to his current total.

When multi-class characters level both classes at the same time, the rules are similar with one big exception: both constitution modifiers are used.

For example: When Joe the fighter/thief levels up both of his classes at the same time:

Joe is pretty stout sporting an 18 constitution, so he gets a +4HP constitution modifier when he levels up as fighter and an additional +2 constitution modifier when he levels up as thief. This is in addition to the HP awarded for each class.

For example: Joe rolls a 6 on his fighter HP roll and a 4 on his thief roll, for a total of 10. Divide that by two, equals 5HP rolled. Add to that, the Constitution modifiers which are +4 for a fighter with an 18 constitution and +2 for a thief with that same 18 constitution. In other words, if both classes level up at the same time, Joe earns +6 to hit points to go along with their HP rolls.

I believe this buff will provide a hedge against the mounting difficulty of the adventure.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:23, Tue 01 Oct 2019.

I hate level limits. They make almost no sense. I put almost, because I kind of see GG's point, but mostly I don't. With this in mind, no level limits for demi-human characters.

I'm counting Kullonar in those ranks as well...even though he's a demi-humanoid, not demi-human. I'm not sure why the distinction, so make of that what you will. Peace out.

The idea roll:

This rule came about in my face to face group some years ago, and strikes me as a fair way or adjudicating situations that come up where something particularly important has been missed by the party that they should have or could have figured out on their own.

It works as follows:

Joe the Magic User missed an easy clue that would have led him to the resolution of his efforts. Failing that, in normal game play situation, he would've failed in his quest, mission, thing...

With the idea roll, the player gets one more chance to complete his character's goal. Joe's player adds Joe's intelligence score to his wisdom score and rolls a d100 (percentile). Joe's intelligence is 18 (he's a smart fella) and his wisdom is 12 (not too shabby either) for a total of 30.

The player rolls the percentile dice and comes up with a 24. The DM says somberly, "Joe has fulfilled the requirements of his quest and has dropped the ring into Mount Doom."

Having done so, Joe the Magic User is then lauded with gold, gems and women...lots and lots of women.

Please PM me if you need further clarification.

<b>Non-Weapon Combat: Including Pummeling, Grappling and Overbearing.</b>

I'm simplifying this as follows:

<b>Pummeling:</b>

Pummeling is a melee attack. Basically its using any part of your body to cause damage to an opponent. Combat sequence is as follows: Combantants roll initiative, then to hit and damage rolls. Damage is 1-2 points + modifiers for strength. For example: If you have a natural 18 strength, your attack modifier would be +1 'to hit' and damage modifier would be '+2 damage.' It's unlikely, but not impossible to kill someone with a punch. Most times, Pummeling is a violent attack meant to harm or kill.
*shields are considered a weapon with regards to pummeling, grappling and overbearing.

<b>Grappling and Overbearing</b>

Grappling and Overbearing are non-lethal attacks meant to subdue. Both use the same rules. Unlike Pummeling, both are usually subduel attacks. As Pummeling above, characters roll their initiative - YOU MUST ROLL YOUR INITIATIVE EACH ROUND FOR GRAPPLING/OVERBEARING ATTACKS.

Once initiative is determined, you roll To Hit. If the 'to hit' is successful, you have locked up on your opponent. At that point, they can counter in effort to lock you up with a successful 'To hit' roll. If they succeed, you have a stalemate with no winner & you start another round.

Modifiers are Dexterity and Strength. For instance, if you have a 16 Strength and 17 dexterity that is a +3 modifier (+1 str/+2 dex).

Armor modifiers: Combatants gain +1 for supple armors like leather or padded. They gain +2 for no armor. There are no additional bonuses for metal armors (offsets dexterity).

Unlike Pummeling, no damage occurs. Instead, a point system based upon level/HD + modifiers will determine whether the subdual works. The first to reach their total subdual points is the winner.

Level 1-5: 25 points to subdual
Level 6-10: 20 points to subdual
Level 11-15: 15 points to subdual

*If a 4th level character is grappling with a 6HD monster, they have to earn 25 points vs. the 20 points of their opponent.

Beginning in round 2 and each round thereafter, the winner of the round gains an additional point to their total modifier. A tie means 0 points awarded.

*Note: You cannot use non-weapon attacks if you are holding anything in your hands.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:28, Sat 16 May 2020.

Using rope to entangle:
1- rope must be tied off in some fashion, a loop, a lasso, secured to a heavy object, etc.
2- rope uses dexterity as principle modifier.
3- rope use counts as a non-weapon proficiency - if you do not have a non-weapon proficicency for rope, you do not get any bonuses to the throw (including dex).
4- you must successfully roll 'to hit' to secure the loop, lasso, grapnel, etc.
5- becoming proficient with rope allows you to use dex bonuses to hit. This requires training.
6- the opponent successfully dodges the throw with a save vs. Breath Weapon.
7- Heavy objects or opponents get an additional +2 to save

Recovery of Spells: per the DMG:

Spell recovery, whether cleric/druid or magic-user/illusionist, requires
about the same period of time.

In order to regain or replace a spell, it is necessary that the spell-user rest.

Minimum rest periods are shown below:

SPELL LEVEL:
1-2: four hours rest
3-4: six
5-6: eight
7-8: ten
9: twelve

OOC: Rules to play by: Turning undead

Most of you know this, but want to makes sure all clerics and paladins understand the rules of turning undead: First, Paladins turn undead at 2 levels less than a cleric of the same level. So a paladin at 4th level can turn undead at 2 levels lower.

Furthermore, you must roll EACH PARTICULAR UNDEAD successfully, before turning the next subset of undead.

For instance: you come upon a pack of ghouls led by two ghasts and a wight. Assume for the illustration that you're high enough level to turn them.

You would have attempt turning the ghouls first. If you are successful, you would then have to roll the ghasts next. If successful, you would then role for the wight.

If you fail in turning the ghouls, that character can no longer attempt to turn any of the undead in this particular pack. If, however, you succeed in turning the ghouls, you roll a 1d12 for the number of ghouls you turn, then move on to the next group (ghasts).

24 hours have to pass before you can try turning undead that you failed to turn before.

Let me know if you have any questions - understanding these rules will be critical to the party's success.

Critical Rolls & Fumbles:

If a player rolls a natural 20, he automatically earns max damage on a hit + 2x his level.

If a player fumbles, he loses one melee round and must wait for the next melee round to take an action.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:33, Sun 27 Dec 2020.

At the very least read the post 2 posts above where I try to explain turning undead. Also, this a handy hand written grid to help as well, especially for those who can turn undead.



This message was last edited by the GM at 02:05, Thu 01 Oct 2020.

I'm going to edit this as it's been an ongoing question that I haven't fully clarified yet.

Regarding magical weapons: If you have a +1 magic sword, that's the magical bonus you get in addition to your normal rolls.

If, however, you have a magical weapon that has multiple functions, two things happen: first, you get the bonus as listed. For instance: If you have a flame brand, you have ascending bonuses as listed in the DMG. +1 allows for setting small fires, burning paper, etc. In other words it works like a normal +1 sword except that it burns flammable items.

+2 is for avian creatures (birds and birdlike monsters); +3 is against cold monsters (Frost Giants, Winter wolves, etc.) and +4 vs Undead. When you have multiple bonuses that stack like that, the sword effectively becomes a higher level sword.

What do I mean by that? Well, when a monster is attacking and has certain attributes that allow for resistance against lower lever weapons, but the character has a flame tongue which has ascending bonuses, the sword - AS I PLAY IT - becomes a +5 weapon, which means you can hit all infernal (devils), demonic, monsters etc. that you otherwise would not be able to hit.

This rule applies to all swords. Now, Let's say you have a straight up +2 sword - that's what you got, and can attack and hit any monster with resistances up to +2 against that particular foe.

Another example is a Mace of Disruption. Techically it's a +3 weapon, but because of it's ability to 'disrupt' an outerworlder, it effectively becomes a +5 weapon.

That's a lot of stuff, but I want you guys to understand these particular rules so there's no confusion later on. FYI> I'll put this in the game menu as well.

Listen folks: half you guys come on the board, post your rolls, then move on to real life. This is fine except that I'm left deciphering what exactly I am looking at. That takes me a long time. I gave up trying to figure one player's rolls yesterday.

The reality is that we don't get smarter as we get older. I'm certainly not as smart as I used to be, thus I've come up with my way of handling combat that is pretty simple for me, and doesn't take that much of your time.

First: my eyes are not 20/20 anymore. I need you guys to just use the regular font as we all use on RPol. There are a couple of you who like use the super-small script for some damn reason. That makes my job MUCH harder. This isn't a style contest.

Also, the only font's that come clearly are Red, Blue, Dark Blue, Dark Green, Purple, Brown. Contrary to popular belief, orange is not a good color for 2 reasons: On some browsers it does not show through clearly. Also, it's the same color as PMs which might cause some confusion.

Second: This is the way I want you to transcribe your combat rolls. I've said this a number of times, I'll keep saying until you guys get it right:

The first thing you roll is Inititive. It is 1x/combat.

The second thing is To hit/AKA 'attack.' Those terms are synonymous (same meaning). If you have more than one attack, your 'To Hit' should reflect that in column form. I will illustrate that in my example.

Damage: if you have more than one damage roll then reflect it in column form. This is similar to 'To Hit.'


For example: Bob the Barber has 3 attacks per round with his golden shears. You would reflect it this way: (numbers are made up).

Inititive: 5

To hit: 17
To hit: 14
To hit: 6

Damage: 5
Damage: 7
Damage: 0 miss

Very simple, very straightforward, very easy for me. I should have figured this out earlier, but I didn't. However, moving forward I expect that you will do it this way. Thank you for understanding and for playing. I'm going to keep this post up here as well as in the Rules section.