House Rules in this game will focus on streamlining play, mitigating some of the slowness inherent to play-by-post, and making characters more resilient. With these points in mind, here are the house rules:
Combat Sequence: At the beginning of combat, I will determine whether either side is surprised, roll Initiative for both sides, and post a combat summary at the top of the round. Once initiative is established for a given encounter, we won't roll initiative again unless there is a dramatic shift in the battle.
This game will use side initiative. Players may post in any order when it is the players turn to act. There is no need to wait for others to post, unless there is a tactical reason for doing so, like wanting to wait for the magic-user to cast
sleep before engaging foes.
There are no sequenced actions (i.e., movement first, followed by missile attacks, spells, melee, etc.) in this game. Players will take all of their actions for the current round during their turn.
Combat Resolution: At the beginning of combat, I will post all the relevant stats players need to resolve their own attacks (e.g., Armor Class, Hit Points, relative positions, distances, etc.). Players will roll their own attacks and damage and post results during their turn. This format ensures players do not have to wait for the DM to verify whether they hit or not and greatly speeds up play.
There may be instances where players don't know how many hit points a foe has, but this will be the exception and generally only used for "boss" type monsters. In these instances, players will still be able to determine whether they hit, just not whether they do enough damage to defeat a foe. For example, if you attack a monster that only has 6 hit points remaining and inflict 8 points of damage during your attack, you can assume the monster is dead and narratively describe how your character defeats the monster when you post. If you're not certain how many hit points a monster has, you will still know whether you hit, just not whether it has been defeated.
Critical Hits and Fumbles: A roll of Natural 20 is an exceptional hit and deals
maximum damage. There are no fumbles in this game; however, players are encouraged to roleplay a non-successful result in any manner they wish. Be creative with your successes and failures. It makes for a better game!
COMBAT ACTIONS, MOVEMENT, AND MANEUVERS
Declaring Spells and General Actions: We will not use these rules in this game. Actions and spells will be resolved during a PCs turn. A PC may move up to their speed and still attack, cast a spell, or perform an action in the same round.
Casting Time/Round Segments: Casting Times and Round segments will not be used in this game. Spells will take effect during a player's turn within the same round, unless it is a spell with a casting time greater than 1 round.
Closing into Combat: In general, PCs may move up to their speed to position themselves for an attack during the same round.
Charge: Charging into combat allows the attacker to make a more effective offensive attack at the expense of defensive vulnerability. During a charge, a PC may move up to double speed and then attack with a +2 bonus to-hit. Charging characters may be pre-emptively attacked by a defender wielding a longer weapon (e.g., a spear, pike, etc.).
The charger gains no Dexterity bonus to AC against such an attack and chargers with no Dexterity bonus automatically receive a +1 penalty to AC. Additionally, the defender has a weapon set against the charge (see below), he or she will inflict additional damage with a successful hit against the charging attacker.
Assuming the charging character survives, they gain a +2 attack bonus. Characters may only perform a charge once every 10 rounds (i.e., once per turn).
Fighting Retreat: A character may retreat out of combat and may move half their speed while maintaining their defenses, i.e., not provoking an opportunity attack. Additionally, it is possible to parry while executing a fighting retreat.
Fleeing from Combat: Characters engaged in melee combat who flee from combat provoke an an opportunity attack and their opponent(s) may make an immediate attack with a +4 attack bonus.
Parrying: A character who parries cannot attack, but gains a -1 AC bonus in addition to subtracting their “to-hit” bonus from the enemy's attack roll. Parrying may be used in combination with a fighting retreat.
Set Weapon Against Charge: A character choosing to set their weapon against a charge cannot attack unless an opponent charges, but the weapon will inflict double damage against a charging opponent. Weapons that may be set against a charge include spears, lances (when used dismounted), most pole arms, and tridents.
HIT POINTS AND DYING
A character reduced to 0 hit points is considering
Unconscious.
A character reduced to -1 to -9 hit points is considered to be dying and will lose 1 hit point per round, unless given some form of first aid and/or healing.
A character reduced to -10 hit points or less is dead.
HIT POINT RECOVERY FROM REST
PCs regains hit points equal to d6 + level + Constitution bonus (if any) with each day of rest. All characters recover a minimum of 1 hit point per day of rest.
SPELLS
Spellcasters may spontaneously cast any known spell.
All spellcasters earn bonus spells based on their spell casting attribute. Clerics and Druids earn bonus spells for high Wisdom and Magic-Users/Illusionists earn bonus spells for high Intelligence, as follows:
Bonus Spells for High Attributes
Attribute 1st-level 2nd-level 3rd-level 4th-level
9 0
11 0
12 0
13 1
14 2
15 2 1
16 2 2
17 2 2 1
18 2 2 1 1
19 3 2 1 1
ACTION POINTS (AP's)
This game uses Action Points, which are derived from a character's Charisma score. All characters earn 1 AP, every level, regardless of their Charisma score. Characters with an above average Charisma score earn bonus action points as follows:
Charisma Bonus AP's
3-8 0
9-12 1
13-15 2
16-17 3
18+ 4
Action Points may be spent for any of the following purposes:
- Heroes' Luck: Spend an Action Point to add 1d6 to any attack roll or saving throw.
- Inspiring Word: Spend an Action Point to give a companion 1d4+1 temporary hit points.
- Second Wind: Spend an Action Point to heal 1d4+1 hit points.
Characters earn additional action points, to include bonus action points, upon gaining a level. Unspent action points are carried over between levels.
SKILL CHECKS
PCs sometimes try to accomplish actions for which there are no rules in 1st edition AD&D. This game will use attribute checks to handle these sort of situations. Players will roll a d20 and compare it against a relevant attribute. Modifiers to the roll may sometimes be assessed based on task difficulty. However, in general, rolling below the relevant attribute will be considered a success.
Some example skills and associated attributes:
Strength: Athletics, etc.
Intelligence: Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature, Religion, etc.
Wisdom: Animal Handling, Insight, Medicine, Perception, Survival, etc.
Dexterity: Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, etc.
Constitution: Concentration, Endurance, etc.
Charisma: Deception, Intimidation, Performance, Persuasion, etc.
CLASSES
Race/Class: There are no race class restrictions in this game. Make the character you want to play.
Optional Character Class: Bard
Ability Requirements: Dexterity 12, Intelligence 13, Charisma 15
Prime Requisite: Dexterity, Charisma
Races Allowed: Human, Half-Elf
Hit Die Type: d6
Spell Ability: Yes
Armor: Padded, leather, studded leather, ring mail, scale mail, or chain mail
Shield: none
Weapons: Any
Oil: Yes
Poison: ?
The bard makes their way in life by charm, talent, and wit. A good bard should be glib of tongue, light of heart, and fleet of foot (when all else fails).
In precise historical terms, the title "bard" applies only to certain groups of Celtic poets who sang the history of their tribes in long, recitative poems. These bards, found mainly in Ireland, Wales, and Scotland, filled many important roles in their society. They were storehouses of tribal history, reporters of news, messengers, and even ambassadors to other tribes. However, in the AD&D game, the bard is a more generalized character. Historical and legendary examples of the type include Alan-a-Dale, Will Scarlet, Amergin, and even Homer. Indeed, every culture has its storyteller or poet, whether they are called bard, skald, fili, jongleur, or something else.
To become a bard, a character must have a Dexterity of 12 or more, an Intelligence of 13 or more, and a Charisma of 15 or more. The prime requisites are Dexterity and Charisma. A bard can be lawful, neutral or chaotic, good or evil, but must always be partially neutral. Only by retaining some amount of detachment can they successfully fulfill their role as a bard.
A bard, by their nature, tends to learn many different skills. They are a jack-of-all-trades but expert in none. Although they fight as a rogue, they can use any weapon. They can wear any armor up to, and including, chain mail, but cannot use a shield.
All bards are proficient singers, chanters, or vocalists and can play a musical instrument of the player's choice (preferably one that is portable).
In their travels, a bard also manages to learn a few magic-user spells. Like a magic-user, a bard's Intelligence determines the number of spells they can know and the chance to know any given spell. These they keep in their spell book, abiding by all the restrictions on memorization and spell use that bind a magic-user. However, like multi-classed magic-users, a bard may cast spells while wearing armor. Regardless, bards tend to use their spells more to entertain and impress than to fight. The table below lists the number of spells a bard can cast at each level.
Since bards are dabblers rather than full-time magic-users, their spells tend to be gained by serendipity and happenstance. Beginning bards do not have a selection of spells. A 2nd-level bard learns 1d4 magic-user spells, chosen either randomly or by the DM. (An Intelligence check must still be made to see if the bard can learn a given spell.) The bard is not guaranteed to know read magic, as this is not needed to read the writings in a spell book. The bard can add new spells to their spell book as they find them but does not automatically gain additional spells as they advance in level. All spells beyond those they start with must be found during their adventures. The bard's casting level is equal to their current level.
BARD TABLE
Experience Points Level Hit Dice (d6) Level Title
0 – 1,250 1 1 Crier
1,251 – 2,500 2 2 Storyteller
2,501 – 5,000 3 3 Rhymer
5,001 – 10,000 4 4 Poet
10,001 – 20,000 5 5 Minstrel
20,001 – 42,500 6 6 Balladeer
42,501 – 70,000 7 7 Songsmith
70,001 – 110,000 8 8 Troubadour
110,001 – 160,000 9 9 Bard
160,001 – 220,000 10 10 Master Bard
BARD SPELL PROGRESSION
Bard Spell Level
Level 1 2 3 4
1
2 1
3 2
4 2 1
5 3 1
6 3 2
7 3 2 1
8 3 3 1
9 3 3 2
10 3 3 2 1
Combat and spells, however, are not the main strength of the bard. Their expertise is in dealing and communicating with others. To this end, the bard has a number of special powers. The base percentage for each power is listed in the table below. This base percentage must be adjusted for the bard’s race and Dexterity as per thief.
Bard Abilities
Level Climb Detect Pick Read
Walls Noise Pockets Languages
1 80% 10% 25% 15%
2 81% 10% 30% 20%
3 82% 15% 35% 25%
4 83% 15% 40% 30%
5 84% 20% 45% 35%
6 85% 20% 50% 40%
7 86% 25% 55% 45%
8 87% 25% 60% 50%
9 88% 30% 65% 55%
Bard abilities are subject to modifiers for Dexterity Score and Race as per the thief class (PHB p. 12 & 28).
Climb Walls enables the bard to climb near sheer surfaces without the aid of tools, just like the thief.
Hear Noise improves the bard's chances of hearing and interpreting sounds. They may be able to overhear parts of a conversation on the other side of a door or pick up the sound of something stalking the party. To use the ability, the bard must stand un-helmeted and concentrate for one round (one minute). During this time, all other party members must remain silent. The DM secretly makes the check and informs the player of the result.
Pick Pockets enables the bard not only to filch small purses, wallets, keys, and the like, but also to perform small feats of sleight-of-hand (useful for entertaining a crowd).
Read Languages is an important ability to a bard since words are their meat and drink. They have some ability to read documents written in languages they do not know, relying on words and phrases they have picked up in their studies and travels. The Read Languages column in the table above gives the base percentage chance to puzzle out a foreign tongue. It also represents the degree of comprehension the bard has if they are successful. The DM can rule that a language is too rare or unfamiliar, especially if it has never been previously encountered by the bard, effectively foiling his attempts to translate it. At the other extreme, the bard need not make the dice roll for any language they are proficient in.
Success is assumed to be automatic in such cases.
The bard can also influence reactions of groups of NPCs. When performing before a group that is not attacking (and not intending to attack in just seconds), the bard can try to alter the mood of the listeners. They can try to soften their mood or make it uglier. The method can be whatever is most suitable to the situation at the moment -- a fiery speech, collection of jokes, a sad tale, a fine tune played on a fiddle, a haunting lute melody, or a heroic song from the old homeland. Everyone in the group listening must roll a saving throw vs. paralyzation (if the crowd is large, make saving throws for groups of people using average hit dice). The die roll is modified by -1 for every three experience levels of the bard (round fractions down). If the saving throw fails, the group's reaction can be shifted one level (see the Reactions section in the DMG), toward either the friendly or hostile end of the scale, at the player's option. Those who make a successful saving throw have their reaction shifted one level toward the opposite end of the scale.
Cwell the Fine has been captured by a group of bandits and hauled into their camp. Although they are not planning to kill him on the spot, any fool can plainly see that his future may be depressingly short. In desperation, Cwell begins spinning a comic tale about Duke Dunderhead and his blundering knights. It has always been a hit with the peasants, and he figures it's worth a try here. Most of the bandits have 1 Hit Die, but the few higher-level leaders raise the average level to 3. Cwell is only 2nd level, so he gains no modifier. A saving throw is rolled and the group fails (Cwell succeeds!). The ruffians find his tale amusing. The player shifts their reaction from hostile to neutral. The bandits decide not to kill Cwell but to keep him around, under guard, to entertain them. If the bandits' saving throw had succeeded, the bandits would have been offended by the story (perhaps some of them served under Duke Dunderhead!), and their reaction would have shifted from hostile to violent. They probably would have roasted Cwell immediately.
This ability cannot affect people during battle; it is effective only when the audience has time to listen. If Cwell tried telling his tale while the bandits were attacking his group, the bandits would have quickly decided that Cwell was a fool and carried on with their business. Furthermore, the form of entertainment used must be appropriate to the audience.
Cwell might be able to calm (or enrage) a bear with music, but he won't have much luck telling jokes to orcs unless he speaks their language.
The music, poetry, and stories of the bard can also be inspirational, rallying friends and allies. If the exact nature of an impending threat is known, the bard can heroically inspire his companions (immortalizing them in word and song), granting a +1 bonus to attack rolls, or a +1 bonus to saving throws, or a +2 bonus to morale (particularly useful in large battles) to those involved in melee. The bard must spend at least three full rounds singing or reciting before the battle begins. This affects those within a range of 10 feet per experience level of the bard.
The effect lasts one round per level. Once the effect wears off, it can't be renewed if the recipients are still in battle. However, troops who have withdrawn from combat can be reinspired by the bard's words. A troop of soldiers, inspired by Cwell, could charge into battle. After fighting a fierce fight, they retreat, and the enemy does not pursue. Cwell, seeing them crestfallen and dispirited, once again rouses their will to fight. Reinvigorated, they charge back into battle with renewed spirit.
Bards are also able to counter the effects of songs and poetry used as magical attacks. Characters within 30 feet of the bard are immune to the attack as long as the bard sings a counter song (or recites a poem, etc.). While doing this, the bard can perform no other action except a slow walk. Furthermore, if the bard is struck or fails a saving throw, their effort is ruined. Success is checked by having the bard make a saving throw vs. spell. Success blocks the attack, failure means the attack has its normal effect (everyone affected rolls saving throws, normal damage is inflicted, etc.). The bard can use this ability once per encounter or battle. This power does not affect verbal spell components or command words; it is effective against spells that involve explanations, commands, or suggestions.
Finally, bards learn a little bit of everything in their studies and travels. Thus, all bards can read and write their native tongue (if a written language exists) and all know local history (without cost if the optional proficiency rules are used). Furthermore, bards have a 5% chance per experience level to identify the general purpose and function of any magical item. The bard need not handle the item but must examine it closely. Even if successful, the exact function of the item is not revealed, only its general nature.
Since Cwell the Fine is 2nd level, he has a 10% chance to know something about a magical sword +1. If he succeeds, he knows whether the sword is cursed and whether it has an alignment ("This sword was used by the evil warrior Lurdas. I wouldn't touch it if I were you!"). This ability does not enable him to identify the sword's exact properties, only its history and background. He has no idea of its bonuses or penalties or any special magical powers, except as can be inferred from the histories.
Being something of a warrior, a bard can build a stronghold and attract followers upon reaching 9th level. The bard attracts 10d6 0th-level soldiers into their service. Followers arrive over a period, but they are not automatically replaced if lost in battle. Of course, a bard can build a stronghold any time, but no followers arrive until they reach 9th level.
Upon reaching 10th level, a bard can attempt to use magical devices of written nature--scrolls, books, etc. However, their understanding of magic is imperfect (although better than that of a thief), so there is a 15% chance that any written item they use is read incorrectly. When this happens, the magical power works the opposite of what is intended, to the detriment of the bard or their friends. The DM will tell you what happens to your character, based on the situation and particular magical item. The result may be unpleasant, deadly, or embarrassing. (Deciding these things is part of the DM's fun!)
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:19, Fri 29 Oct 2021.
