Basically Why Basic

I thought I would outline my reasons why I have returned to Basic/Expert Dungeons & Dragons instead of continuing with 1st edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, so I decided to list what aspects I prefer of each in purely practical terms. As far as their artistic merits are concerned (writing style, ability to inspire, illustrations), I enjoy both and will continue to draw on both. The purpose of this exercise is to evaluate how the rules are used at the game table. For now, I'll just share the list, but in the future I'll address each aspect in turn. [See Specifically Why Basic.]

Basic/Expert D&D

1. Favorable and simpler spellcasting
   
2. Favorable and simpler spell memorization
   
3. Favorable ranged weapon modifiers
   
4. Simpler alignment system
   
5. Simpler spell descriptions
   
6. Simpler weapon damage (no S, M, L divisions)
   
7. Simpler weapon list
   
8. Streamlined classes
   
9. Superior organization of rules
   
10. Absence of weapon proficiency rules [added 23 March 2013]
    

AD&D

1. Favorable hit dice for PCs
   
2. Favorable spell acquisition for clerics (spell at 1st level)
   
3. Negative hit points (no automatic death at 0 hit points)
   

For the Multi-Classed

I have been drifting in a decidedly anti-multi-class direction lately, but I have been considering hypoethetical circumstances under which I might find it acceptable or possibly even desirable. What immediately springs to mind is the Renaissance man or woman. I am not, of course, referring to anyone who might exist during the Renaissance, but to those individuals whose talents and skills extended to a wide variety of subjects. They were not mere jacks-of-all-trades, but dedicated experts in multiple fields. For these individuals a multi-class option would make sense. This falls in line with another experiment I was considering when I was planning to write my own Original Fantasy Role-Playing Game-compatible RPG. I wanted to create a neo-retro-whatever-clone that justified all the crazy traditional rules in the context of the game world, just as Empire of the Petal Throne did, but without having to place it in an alien setting. Things such as "level," "alignment," "(character) class," and possibly even "saves" would be utterable in-character at the game table because they would be part of the setting. The only way I could justify it without resorting to a campaign world requiring Tékumel-levels of detail was to frame it in terms of a secret society. Certain rare individuals—Renaissance men and women—are privy to the knowledge that there is more to reality than what is ordinarily perceived by most. They are inducted by secret ceremony into an organization that seeks to deal with this other reality in accordance with their goals, or alignment. As they increase their experience with the unknown, their achievement in each class of endeavor is formally recognized by an increase in their level within the organization. As they rise, their ability to save themselves from worse threats also rises.

Such ultra-competent individuals would be above the constraints of the traditional D&D class system, but the traditional multi-class system also falls short. Instead, I envisioned a system based on the OD&D elf. Just as an elf decides at the beginning of each adventure whether to function as a fighter or magic-user, gaining experience only for that class during that time, a player character in my game would decide at the beginning of each adventure whether to function as a cleric, fighter, magic-user, or thief (although I renamed the classes to better fit the setting). Player characters could remain in one class as long as they like and switch classes as often as they like (as long as the switch occurs at the beginning of an adventure). Abilities gained from a class are retained, and the best available saving throw or attack roll is always used.

Non-player characters who are not part of the conspiracy do not qualify to multi-class, nor do they gain levels. They gain ranks. Functionally, they are the same, but to mention "levels" outside of the organization is to reveal a secret and raise the suspicions of the ignorant, which is almost everyone. Mentioning "alignment" also raises eyebrows amongst non-members, and discussing spells, monsters, demons, or planes of existence will surely get one branded as a witch and burnt at the stake.

In this conceptualization, all player characters are human and the setting is more Renaissance than Middle Ages (to reflect the rebirth of the sciences and to emphasize human achievement), but exceptions could be made for the rare visitor from the realm of faerie or those hidden worlds beneath the earth's surface.

Hm... Maybe I should revisit this idea and publish it.

Against the Multi-Classed

I remember when multi-classed characters appealed to me. I was a beginning role-player, and in Basic/Expert D&D there was only one multi-class option: the elf. Who wouldn't want to wield magic and weaponry and wear armor? One of the greatest attractions of AD&D for me and, I suspect, many others, was the dizzying array of multi-class options. In some ways they made little sense with their arbitrary limits, but the fact that there were so many choices was a strong lure for many gamers. The side effect (at least in my group) was that the ratio of demi-human player characters to human player characters was much higher than their populations in the campaign world. For some players, the preference was based on special capabilities, such as multi-class; for others it was the desire to play an exotic character; for many it was both. I wonder, though, how popular the demi-humans would be if they were functionally identical to humans and differed only in their culture, history, and physical appearance. Perhaps that would be an interesting alternative to explore.

Multi-class options largely bore me now because they water down the classes. Classes are a feature of D&D. If one doesn't like it, one should play a skill-based role-playing game (which is actually my preferred kind). As long as you are using classes at all, you might as well play to their strengths. A character with a class (as opposed to a 0 level character) has a special status in society as well as special capabilities. Let that class inform the development of your character. Instead of the irrational limits of D&D and the multi-class free-for-all of the Labyrinth Lord Advanced Edition Companion (forgive the hyperbole), try eliminating all multi-class options and level limits, but allow demi-humans to choose any one class just as humans do. Dwarves, elves, and halflings can be clerics, fighters, magic-users, and thieves. They have no limit to their potential advancement, but they can only choose one class. What makes demi-humans special is the way they are role-played. Allow them their minor abilities, such as the elf's heightened ability to detect secret doors, but don't allow them to be experts at everything (or nearly everything). It just might encourage more players to play humans and reserve the playing of demi-humans to those players most interested in playing them for their own sake rather than for the multi-class advantage. That, I think, is where I am headed.

[See also For the Multi-Classed.]

Magical Spell: Miniaturize

Magic-users are crafty when it comes to making their lives easier. A case in point is the spell miniaturize. It has many uses, but it was originally researched to enable magic-users to make their libraries more portable. Casting this spell will reduce a book the size of the Dungeon Masters Guide to about 4x3 inches (10x8 cm). An entire bookcase with 24 volumes of the Encyclopaedia Britannica measuring approximately 28x24x12 inches (71x61x30.5 cm) could be miniaturized to 9x8x4 inches (23x20x10 cm), which is about the size of a single hardcover dictionary. A miniaturized book will often remain perfectly readable (as owners of the miniature AD&D rulebooks published by Twenty First Century Games will attest), so a magic-user with good eyesight or a magnifier need not restore a book to normal size to use it whilst adventuring. Spellcasters have found other ingenious uses for this spell, but reduction of book mass remains its most common application.

Miniaturize

Spell Class: Magic-user
Spell Level: 4
Range: 0
Duration: permanent

This spell will reduce the size of an object or collection of objects to 1:3 scale. The initial area affected may not be larger than 1 cubic foot (30.5 cubic cm) per level of the caster. Only inanimate objects can be affected by this spell. Each casting of miniaturize on the same object will reduce its size by a factor of three, i.e. the second casting will reduce it to 1:6 scale, a third to 1:9, a fourth to 1:12, etc. The magic-user must use a dispel magic spell to restore a miniaturized object to its normal size.

Wayne's Books.

Random Alignment Generator

Where do Fudge and Dungeons & Dragons intersect? The answer is the random alignment generator. Back in the 1980s, I owned a pair of six-sided alignment dice that I had ordered from the RPGA (Role-Playing Gamers' Association). The dice were white and bore three words repeated twice. The first die bore the words "Lawful" in blue, "Neutral" in green, and "Chaotic" in black. The second die bore the words "Good" in blue, "Neutral" in green, and "Evil" in red. To generate a character's alignment randomly, just roll the first die for those editions of D&D that had only three alignments, or roll both dice for the two-part alignment scheme that became standard starting with Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. Alas, it did not take long for the ink on the dice to smear and fade, leaving me with [what are gradually becoming] two featureless white cubes.

The solution is Fudge dice. These six-sided three-dimensional randomizers have three symbols repeated twice and lend themselves to the random generation of alignments better than the original alignment dice themselves. [Fudge dice have six sides that are marked "+" on two sides, "−" on two sides, and left blank on two sides.] For one thing, they are not merely inked, they are incised, which means they last forever. For another thing, only a single Fudge die is necessary, since the "+" and "−" symbols can double as Lawful vs. Chaotic and Good vs. Evil.

For those who like charts, voila:

	1st dF	2nd dF
+	Lawful	Good
0	Neutral	Neutral
−	Chaotic	Evil

Combined, we may generate the following results:

	+	0	−
+	Lawful Good	Lawful Neutral	Lawful Evil
0	Neutral Good	True Neutral	Neutral Evil
−	Chaotic Good	Chaotic Neutral	Chaotic Evil

Incidentally, all alignment dice are Chaotic. Use them at your own risk.

[If you can't find Fudge dice at your favorite local game shop, they can be ordered direct from Grey Ghost Press, Inc. You can also advise your game shop that they can be ordered through Impressions Advertising.]

[What is Fudge? Learn more here.]

[Originally posted in Fudgery.net/fudgerylog on 7 April 2011.]

[See also "Random Alignment Generator 2".]

Passing Semiconscious Thought

I missed BASHCon again, but GM's Day is just around the corner (the 4th of March), so perhaps I can observe it in some way. How? I have no idea. I should be sleeping, not writing about pseudo-holidays created in gaming fora. ZZZZZZZ...

Table: Transcendental Teas

Would you like a nice cuppa? Teas are well known for their healthful qualities, but not all teas are equal. Some are blended from rare and arcane ingredients by those with a knowledge that transcends the bonds of material existence and awareness. These are the transcendental teas that expand the mind and free the spirit (or in some cases cloud the mind and enslave the spirit).

To randomly generate a transcendental tea, roll once on the table below and give the tea a unique name. The tea, if properly selected, blended, and brewed, will faithfully reproduce the same transcendental effect once per day to any who drink it.


Transcendental Teas

Roll 1d20

1. Acts as the spell astral spell.
   
2. Acts as the spell augury.
   
3. Acts as the spell commune.
   
4. Acts as the spell commune with nature.
   
5. Acts as the spell divination.
   
6. Acts as the spell feign death.
   
7. Acts as the spell neutralize poison.
   
8. Acts as the spell remove fear.
   
9. Acts as the spell sanctuary.
   
10. Acts as the spell speak with animals.
    
11. Acts as the spell speak with plants.
    
12. Acts as the spell true sight.
    
13. Imbues the drinker with constant wakefulness for 2 days and 1 night.
    
14. Increases the drinker's intelligence by 1 point for 24 hours.
    
15. Increases the drinker's wisdom by 1 point for 24 hours.
    
16. Induces a nap lasting 20 minutes (equivalent to 8 hours of sleep).
    
17. Induces a restful sleep lasting 8 hours.
    
18. Subjects the drinker to charm person from the first person noticed.
    
19. Subjects the drinker to hypnosis from the first person seen.
    
20. Subjects the drinker to suggestion from the first voice heard.
    

N.B. Unless the level of the spellcaster who blended the tea is known, any spell-like effects function at the minimum level required to cast the spell +1d4-1.

The Swashbuckling Advantage

Via a circuitous route (looking up the Yaquinto war game Swashbuckler on boardgamegeek.com, seeing a photograph of a diorama inspired by the game, visiting the Web site of the diorama builder, and being referred to the Web site of Eureka Miniatures), I discovered a remarkable miniature war game called ...And One for All by Greg Hallam (available here as a free download and with illustrated examples of play). Its focus is the combat of swashbuckling movies both in style and substance. By "substance" I mean the gameplay itself is as freewheeling as the swashbuckling antics the game simulates. Anything you can think of doing in terms of interacting with your environment is permissible and actually improves your odds in combat. Neither time nor movement rates are measured in this game. The more actions you take, the better you fare, but the sooner you risk losing the initiative and relinquishing your turn. It might be the best interpretation of the genre ever designed.

I can't wait to try playing the game in the way it was intended, but I would naturally like to use it for other situations: Wild West brawls, for instance. In fact, this would work well with brawls in Boot Hill, spy action in Top Secret, martial arts in your favorite martial arts game, duels on Tékumel (Empire of the Petal Throne et al), or even the rough and bloody informal conflict in Dungeons & Dragons. In fact, I'd say it's especially appropriate for D&D, where combat is far more regimented and low level player characters are scarcely able to hit anything. Even if it isn't optimal where spellcasting and ranged weapons are present, it would be a great boon for resolving mêlée combat more quickly and with more interesting results. It also emphasizes player skill, which is generally considered a desirable quality for a game to have as far as the Old School Renaissance is concerned.

One minor modification would need to be made if it were to be used in conjunction with D&D. Each character would need to be assigned a Rating from one to four. I would suggest the following change to rule 3B:

4       High level characters; high HD monsters
3       Medium level characters; medium HD monsters
2       Low level characters; low HD monsters
1       0 level characters; less than 1 HD monsters

Whether I adapt ...And One for All for use in my role-playing games or not, I intend to play it as a traditional miniature war game, too. I might also play it with LEGO Minifigures and a LEGO diorama. (Why not?)

Weekly 3x5 Geomorph

After I post my next set of four 3x5 geomorphs, I might start a new weekly feature consisting of a single 3x5 geomorph. This would serve the dual purpose of a.) giving me one automatic topic per week, and b.) enabling me to work on 3x5 maps at a more leisurely pace that would increase the likelihood that I will actually draw them and post them in a timely manner. I haven't decided what day it would be. 3x5 Thursday? Geomorph Monday? I am undecided (and too sleepy to trust myself with decisions).

Twelve-Sided Surprise

I am thinking about replacing the d6 skill rolls in Dungeons & Dragons, Labyrinth Lord, and especially Lamentations of the Flame Princess with the d12. As a referee, I need more wiggle room to apply the occasional bonus or penalty to a roll, and with LotFP in particular I'd like to make the rate of skill improvement slightly more gradual, but not as sluggish as the old d100 progression in D&D. In order to preserve the sense of consistency, I might switch initiative and surprise rolls to the d12 as well. Too radical?