Leveling Up and Bonus Abilities

Each of the classes I’ve posted on this blog has something in common; they receive abilities as they level up.

I added that feature to each class because, lets face it, standard classes in LotFP are lackluster and boring. However, that dullness serves a purpose; to keep the game gritty, keep the players on their toes, and to avoid the super heroics of other similar games.

I lost sight of all that, especially the third one.

So I’ve been thinking; I don’t want to completely get rid of level up abilities. I also don’t want to turn the game into a bloated feat-fest of super heroes who can never die.

So I came up with the following;

If your character class has level up abilities, you only gain an ability on a 1 in 20 die roll. This is cumulative, so that the higher in level you go, the better the chance of getting something cool. The reasons for this are as follows:

To reward the players for surviving.
To keep cool, special abilities without overpowering the game mechanics.
To keep things gritty.
To help differentiate characters from each other.

I will be including this in the Strathos player’s guide I’ve been writing.

Language and Language Skill

Today’s post isn’t a rule change or new class. Instead it’s just my brief thoughts on a particular aspect of role playing games.

In my getting-near 30 years of gaming, something that has always fascinated me in RPGs is language.

For me, language (including literacy) is a big part of what I think of when I think about good role playing.

In the real world, there are hundreds of current languages, and thousands of dead languages. There are codes and cyphers that act as languages. There are fictional languages. Language is everywhere and without it, we wouldn’t be able to effectively communicate. We’d still be living under rocks and grunting at each other.

So using language in a game is not only a great thing to do, but I think increases the enjoyability of the game. Language adds tension, adds background flavor, adds complications, can escalate or de-escalate conflict.

Some games deal with language by not dealing with it; everyone can understand each other. Either by default or because of babelfish or universal translators or whatever. It’s an uninteresting cop-out.

Other games provide a “common” language, with other languages existing in the world to a lesser degree. Many of these games provide a set number of languages a character “knows” from the begining of the game. Or a maximum number of languages a character can know in their lifetime.

So when they roll up their character, and have Common and 4 other languages to fill in, what do they do? Scratch in Elvish, Dwarvish, Goblin might come in handy, and uh… whatever demons speak.

The problem with this is A) why the hell does your first level fighter know the language of demons, and B) If you never have an opportunity to speak with demons, or elves, or dwarves, or goblins, you wasted those language slots.

Lamentations of the Flame Princess utilizes a skill mechanic for languages that fits my needs as a GM and my wants as a player. Namely, simplicity.

In LotFP, Language, as with all skills, are rated on a scale of 1 to 6, with success determined by rolling under the value with a d6. Intelligence modifiers add to your skill score. So a INT mod of +1 would add 1 to your skill, making your Language skill 2 in 6. Got it?

With the Language skill in LotFP, you start play speaking whatever language you want, although speaking the dominant language of wherever you are is a good idea. There isn’t a list of additional languages. You don’t start play with additional languages. Instead, whenever your character encounters another language, whether it be from the foreign trader, the ancient religious text, or the kingdom next door, you roll your language skill. If successful, you know the language and can utilize it from then on. If you fail, you don’t know the language.

That’s it.

It’s quick, it’s simple, it’s intuitive, and it doesn’t tie anyone’s hands with poor decisions at character creation.

And it can be used in most other games with little modification.

That’s it. Go read something else now.

Playable Species: Goblins for LotFP

Goblins

Goblins are tiny, crazed, insane, chaotic, murdering, backstabbing, comical, curious, silly, monstrous, evil, cute, criminal, cowardly, conniving, deadly, sneaky, scheming, little people who have few friends but are sometimes generally loyal to those friends for at least some of the time.

Goblins are considered a plague by most other sentient species, much like locusts, but this mostly unfair propaganda and hearsay.

Goblins are a type of Faerie, and as such, tend to be treated as “special” cousins to other faerie folk. While goblins may be invited to faerie parties as individuals, faeries will always politely decline invitations to goblin parties. They are more tied to this world than most other faerie, and so do not have the innate magical powers enjoyed by most other types of faerie.

Goblins will eat just about anything, having stomachs capable of breaking down the most rotten and vile organic matter. They are also often the carriers of disease, due to their scavenging and lack of hygiene habits.

Goblins procreate at every given opportunity, and female gestation periods are very short; only a few months, and they usually produce d4 children at a time.

Goblins aren’t particularly interested in building things, unless they directly help the goblin achieve an immediate goal. Like, goblins won’t build catapults to defend their villages from possible future attack, but will build them to launch themselves over fortifications that get in their way.

Lastly, goblins are mostly nocturnal creatures, who live in the darkest forests and in natural cave systems, or mines they’ve taken over from other beings.

Hit Die: d6

Alignment: Chaotic (while most non-magical sentients are Neutral in alignment, goblins exist

Saves: Fortitude: 16, Reflex: 15, Willpower: 18, and these decrease by 2 every four levels. Or use the saves as an LotFP Specialist.

Abilities: +1 To Hit at first level. Can see in the dark, but is -1 on all rolls in daylight.

Experience: As LotFP Halfling

Level Up: Roll once on the table at first level and every level afterwards. Young, inexperienced goblins tend to be more level-headed and easier to get along with than older goblins. This table is based on the work of Joseph Manola and his blog post:

http://udan-adan.blogspot.com/2016/03/new-bx-class-goblin.html

Tinkerer: You love fiddling with things, especially when you have a specific goal in mind. Whether it is deactivating a trap, cracking a safe, designing a hot air balloon made from hundreds of giant spider bladders… you get a +1 to Tinker skill.
Beast Affinity: Pick one of the following creatures: giant bat, giant rat, giant spider, or wolf. You have an intuitive rapport with such creatures, and they won’t attack you except in self-defence or when really, really hungry. If you encounter such a creature with a number of hit dice equal to or less than your own, you can try to press it into service as a mount by spending 1d6 hours ‘taming’ it and making a Charisma roll. If you succeed, it will let you ride it for as long as you keep it well fed, but if you fail then it attacks you once and then runs off. Receive a +1 to your Charisma Mod useable only for this ability, when this is re-rolled.
Biter: All those hours spent filing your teeth has finally paid off! You have a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, which you can use to chew through wood, ropes, etc. Instead of making a weapon attack, you can bite for 1d4 damage. Add a +1 to bite damage when this is re-rolled.
Bouncer: You can jump a distance equal to your full height straight up from a standing start. You take half damage from falling. Add a foot to jump height whenever this is re-rolled.
Coward: You know how to serpentine. You gain a +1 bonus to AC and whilst running away screaming.
Crazy Reflexes: Your body constantly jerks around in unpredictable ways, giving you a +1 AC bonus.
Filth Eater: You can survive on a diet of just about any kind of organic matter. You gain a +1 bonus to saves against poison and disease.
Survivalist: Having spent so much time in the wilderness, you have developed a certain awareness and knowledge of the wild. You know which worms are safe to eat, and which tracks belong to scary monsters you don’t want to cross paths with. +1 to Bushcraft skill.
Hyperactivity: Once per day you can go completely hyper for 1d6 rounds, moving at twice your normal speed and attacking twice per round. However, you are -1 To Hit.
Lunatic: Your mind is so warped that it’s very difficult for other people to control. You gain a +1 bonus to saves against mind-affecting powers and spells. Also you are crazy, but frankly you were probably crazy already.
Mimic: You can perfectly mimic the voice of anyone you have heard in the last 24 hours, but can only maintain this mimicry for a maximum of 1d6 rounds before breaking down into fits of hysterical giggling. Add 1 round every time this is rolled again.
Mushroom Mystic: Pick one first-level Magic-User or Cleric spell. You can cast this spell once per day, but only while feeling the effects of a hallucinogenic drug. Rolling this result again allows you to pick a second first-level spell.
Poison Spit: Your saliva is so bacteria-laden that you can envenom any edged weapon by licking the blade. The next person stabbed with it must save vs. poison or suffer 1d6 days of horrible, incapacitating sickness, which begins 1d3 hours after they are stabbed. Rolling this again makes the victim -1 to save.
Rat Head: You’re a rubbery little freak, and as long as you’re not wearing inflexible armour you can squeeze your whole body through a the width of your own head.
Sneak: As long as you’re not heavily burdened, you can move as soundlessly as a cat. Receive a +1 to Stealth skill. When this is re-rolled, you keep getting a +1 to Stealth, until you have 6 points in the skill. After that, you get a +1 to Sneak Attack.
Spider Climb: You are a nimble climber, able to scale surfaces and angles that seem impossible to others. +1 to your Climb skill.
Desecration: You love to smash things and smear your own feces all over other people’s stuff. Given 1 turn, you can permanently lower the value of everything in a 10ft square area by 10%. Rolling this again means 20%, then 30%, etc.
Swarm King: You have a swarm of pet vermin of some kind (rats, spiders, centipedes, etc), which either follow you around or are carried with you in a sack. On your command they can be ordered to swarm people, who then suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls, damage, and AC for as long as they’re covered in swarming vermin. (They don’t get a save against this, but the effect ends if they find a way of getting the swarm off them: jumping in water, for example.) You can also use them for anything else you think a swarm of vermin would be useful for, but you can’t give them any command more complex than ‘go over there’ and ‘come back’. Your swarm is big enough to engulf up to one person per level. If this is rolled again, then re-roll for a different result.
Twitchy: You only sleep 1d4 hours per night, but never seem to suffer any ill effects as a result. Because of this, you are only surprised on a 1 in 6, and receive a +1 bonus to Reflex saves.
Stab Frenzy: When you successfully hit someone in melee with a small or tiny weapon, you may immediately attempt to stab them again, with a -1 penalty to hit and damage; if you hit then you may attack a third time (with an additional -1 to hit and damage, for -2 total), and so on until you either miss, hit but inflict 0 damage, or kill them. You can only use this ability while screaming and gibbering incoherently. If this is rolled again, then re-roll for a different result.

Class: Yon Ape People v3

Yon Ape People

The Yon are a species of highly intelligent ape. Their society is very close-knit and orderly, with each village based around two industries; cultivating the flowering fruits their diet is based on, and tending the giant honeybee hives that form the center of each village. As village populations grow, members take a queen bee and hive materials and set out to create a new village and hive complex.

Every member of Yon society reveres bees, in fact, they worship them. The huge hive at the center of the village is also a temple where the Yon gather to pray, exchange news, and organize for work projects. The hum of the giant bees in and around the hive is soothing to the Yon and gives them a clear-headed that can’t be found away from the hive. Tending and protecting the hive, and glorifying the queen, gives the Yon purpose. It is everything to them.

But not all of them.

Some Yon do not hear the call of the bee queen. They find the hum of the hive distracting. They may have an uncharacteristic fondness for violence. They may discover that other people value gold and jewels and money, and with those things, they can become powerful in their own right. They think they’re crazy, or maybe everyone else is crazy. Either way, they leave their village as an outcast. An outcast free to adventure and make their fortune in the world. Many find quick work as warriors for hire due to their great strength and intimidating visage.

Yon Ape Adventurer

Hit Die: d8

Bonuses: +1 melee damage, +1 To Hit. Open Doors, Bushcraft, and Climb skills start at 2 in 6.

Saves: Fortitude: 16, Reflex: 17, Willpower: 16. At levels 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 all saves receive a +2 bonus. If using the regular LotFP saves, then the Yon saves as a Fighter.

Experience: As Dwarf

Level Up: Roll once on the following table every level after 1^st.

No need for armor: You have a +1 to AC in melee when you are not wearing armor, other than a helmet and/or shield.
Favored Enemy: Choose an animal, monster, or sentient species. You get a +1 to hit and +1 to damage against that specific type of creature, every time this is rolled. You are also -2 on Reaction rolls with creatures of that type. You can pick anything from mosquitoes to bears to dragons to humans.
Intimidate: +1 to Charisma checks to instill fear against others. Opposed check: your Charisma mod + d20 vs their Wisdom mod + d20. High roll wins. If they lose, they are immediately put in a defensive stance for d4 rounds. If they lose by 10 or more, they immediately flee.
Save Bonus: +1 to all saves.
Attribute Bonus: +1 to any attribute.
Bonus of +1 to a skill.
To Hit bonus: +1.
Use two-handed weapon one handed. If re-rolled, you can wield a two-handed weapon in your off hand, as well.
Defensive Stance: +1 to Armor Class, -2 to hit.
Offensive Stance: +1 to hit, -2 AC.

Thoughts on Shields Shall be Splintered

The original is at Trollsmyth’s page here.

It’s a wonderful rule and I’ve incorporated it into LotFP games in the past. I wrote a previous post about shields and armor, with different shield sizes and materials. Wood can be sacrificed once, metal can be sacrificed twice. I am thinking about changing that though. Both can be sacrificed once, but metal shields give a bonus of +2 melee AC and +2 ranged AC, as opposed to the +1/+2 of a wood shield. The idea being that a metal shield will allow fewer things to go through; much like leather armor and plate armor cover the same amount of body area, but the material of plate gives it a much higher armor class.

Anyway, back to Shields Shall be Splintered…

Looking through the comments though, I got some ideas.

Why can’t armor be sacrificed in the same way?
Can you use the rule to block damage from any attack? Like a giant throwing a huge boulder that would realistically squish you completely?
Since the shield already adds to your AC, why should it also block damage?

So, to address the first point, allow armor to be sacrificed. That helps to get rid of the armor the player character has had for the last 10 years of game time through hundreds of battles and a half dozen levels. It makes armor more than just an after thought, same as it does for the shield.

The second point, is simple; GM fiat. That’s the GM’s job after all; to adjudicate situations. In the aforementioned example, I would say no, you can’t sacrifice your shield or armor to block that attack.

Third point is the trickiest and least likely to be incorporated; just an idea I’m bouncing in my head. Instead of simply blocking damage, a shield or armor can be sacrificed to turn a critical hit into a regular hit. This would not be applicable to sneak attacks or backstabs, as the person being attacked is surprised.

Yon Ape Men Update and Addtitional Material

This is not only a revision of the previous post about the Yon Gorilla People, but has added content in the form of NPC stats, and a separate sub-class of cleric, exclusive to the species.

Yon, or Ape-men, are a species who have created their own civilization in the vast forest that bears their name, the Yonwood.

The yon live on platforms built high up in the trees; trees that grow 100+ feet high with trunks a dozen feet thick.

Physically, they are slightly larger on average than humans, with longer arms than legs, and a fur covered body. Some tribes shave parts of their body and put on body paint, some shave and cover their skin in tattoos. Generally, only warriors shave, and then only shave the parts that would be covered by armor.

Yon wear armor made of giant insect shells; namely beetles and mantis. Full suits of armor are too restrictive, hot, and unwieldy for the furred, tree dwelling species, so armor consists of breastplates, helms, bracers, and wooden shields. These are considered half-suits from the armor rules here.

Their largest export to human realms is honey cultivated from the hives of Giant Bees. Yon beekeepers are able to produce honey with incredible properties. The knowledge to do this is considered a gift from the Yon god, Oogam. Yon beekeepers are shamans with limited cleric powers.

The Yon worship, or at least recognize, a single god who they call Oogam. Oogam is benevelent and provided the Yon with gifts of knowledge and civilization. Oogam has a malevolent counterpart called Boogab, who is the god of the Carnivorous Apes – uncivilized, evil creatures who constantly war with the Yon.

Forged metal items are greatly prized, as the Yonwood is devoid of mines and forges. Favorite weapons are clubs, spears, and blowguns with poisoned darts.

Yon Player Characters use the following:

Warrior

Hit Points: d10 + Constitution modifier.
Encumbrance as Dwarf: five additional slots before taking an encumbrance point.
Combat Options: Same as Fighter.
Skill bonuses: +1 to Open Doors and Bushcraft, +2 Climb. An additional +1 to these three skills at levels 4, 8, 12, and 16.
Damage bonus: Yon are stronger than humans and in addition to their bonus to Open Doors, they have a +1 to melee damage.
Can wield giant-sized weapons two-handed, and Great Weapons one handed.
Saves as Fighter
Experience Points and leveling up are the same as Dwarf.
Alignment: Yon Warriors are Neutral

Shaman

Hit Points: d6 + Constitution
Encumbrance is standard.
Combat Options are standard for non-fighters.
Skill Bonuses: +2 Bushcraft, +2 Climb. Additional +1 at levels 4, 8, 12, and 16
Saves as Cleric
Choose or roll 3 level one spells from the Yon Spell list. Choose one additional spell every level of experience. Spells available are 1/2 the level of the Shaman, rounding up.
Spells cost 2 HP per level of the spell.
Wield giant-sized weapons two-handed, and Great Weapons one-handed.
Experience Points as Elf
Alignment: Yon Shamans are Lawful.

Non-Player Characters

Yon NPCs who follow Oogam use the following:

Armor Class: as leather with shield
Hit Dice/Hit Points: d8
Saves as 0 level Fighter
Number of Attacks: 1 with weapon
Combat bonus: +1 to hit, +1 damage in melee
Size: Large (8ft tall)
Weapons: Great Club, Spear, Blowgun with Poison dart (1 HP dart, save vs petrification)
For every 8 Yon warriors, there will be a Captain of 3 HD.
For every 36 Yon warriors, there will be a Shaman of 4 HD (d6) with 4 spells from the Yon Shaman spell list.

NPCs who follow Boogab have the following changes

Patrols are a mixture of Yon Warriors and Carnivorous Apes in an equal ratio.
For every 8 Warriors/Apes, there will be one Shaman of 3 HD with 3 spells.
For every 36 Warriors/Apes, there will be one Shaman of 5 HD with 5 spells.
For every 64 Warriors/Apes, there will be one Shaman of 7 HD with 7 spells.

Spells of the Yon Gorilla People

Yon player characters have limited access to magic spells. These spells reflect their culture, religion, and environment.

Yon are gifted a single spell every level of experience from their god, Oogam. The exact spell is rolled randomly or chosen, but the maximum level of the spell is half the level of the caster, rounding up.

Yon magic costs 2 Hit Points per level of the spell. Magic is draining and tiring to the caster. A level 1 spell will cost 2 hit points, a level 2 spell will cost 4 hit points, and level 3 will cost 6 hit points, and so on. There is no limit to the number of times a day spells can be cast, other than hit points.

The following list contains the spells available to the Yon character. Spells with descriptions are new, spells without description are from the LotFP Rules & Magic book (Grindhouse edition). Yon have a close relationship with Giant Bees, using honey and wax for a variety of uses.

Spell Level One

Melt Bee’s Wax: Range: Touch. Duration: Instant. The caster can instantly melt bee’s wax in their hand, or within a hand held container.
Bee’s Wax Glue: Range: Touch. Duration: Instant. Turns bee’s wax into a powerful adhesive and sealant, able to glue together most types of material.
Bless
Detect Evil/Good
Protection from Evil/Good
Purify/Spoil Food and Drink
Light
Comprehend Languages
Feather Fall
Mending
Message
Sleep

Spell Level Two

Friend of Bees: Range: Self. Duration: One ten minute Turn per level of the caster. Bees of all types (but not wasps or other stinging insects) regard the caster as a friend and will not attack. They will allow the caster access to their hive and to remove wax and honey.
Create Candy: Range: Touch. Duration: Permanent. Caster can create hardened candy out of honey. Great for sore throats and a variety of other common ailments. Can turn up to one pound of honey into candy per level of experience.
Cure Light Wounds
Delay Poison
Heroism
Resist Cold
Silence
Detect Invisible
Force of Forbidment
Speak With Animals
Wall of Fog
Wizard Lock – uses bee’s wax as a component.

Spell Level Three

Bless Food: Range: 10 feet. Duration: Permanent. Blessed food is impervious to spoiling magic and doubles the length of time that the food would spoil normally.
Seal Wound: Range: Touch. Duration: Instant. The caster uses melted bee’s wax to seal open wounds. This will stop bleeding and stabilize a wounded individual. The wounded person also heals an additional hit point every 24 hours.
Dispel Magic
Magic Vestment
Remove Curse
Sacrifice
Army of One
Gust of Wind
Light, Continual
Locate Object
Speak With the Dead
Turn Undead

Spell Level Four

Honey Medicine: Range: Touch. Duration: Permanent. Turns honey candy (level 2 spell) into medicinal lozenges. Works the same as Cure Disease and heals d6 Hit Points.
Detect Lie
Divination
Neutralize Poison
Protection from Evil, 10ft radius
Spell Immunity
Charm Monster
Protection from Normal Missiles

Spell Level Five

Commune
Cure Serious Wounds
Dispel Evil
Insect Plague
True Seeing
Hold Animal/Monster/Person

Spell Level Six

Find/Lose the Path
Heal
Word of Recall
Legend Lore
Holy Word
Control Weather

Art by Kolsga

Yon: New Race/Species LotFP

Yon, or Ape-men, are a species who have created their own civilization in the vast forest that bears their name, the Yonwood.

The yon live on platforms built high up in the trees; trees that grow 100+ feet high with trunks a dozen feet thick.

Yon wear armor made of giant insect shells. Full suits of armor are too restrictive, hot, and unwieldy for the furred, tree dwelling species, so armor consists of breastplates, helms, bracers, and wooden shields.

The Yon worship, or at least recognize, a single god who they call Oogam. Oogam is benevelent and provided the Yon with gifts of knowledge and civilization. Oogam has a malevolent counterpart called Oogab, who is the god of the Carnivorous Apes – uncivilized, evil creatures who constantly war with the Yon.

Forged metal items are greatly prized, as the Yonwood is devoid of mines and forges. Favorite weapons are clubs, spears, and blowguns with poisoned darts.

Mechanically important information:

Hit Points: d10 + Constitution modifier.
Encumbrance as Dwarf: five additional slots before taking an encumbrance point.
Combat Options: Just standard attack, no others.
Skill bonuses: +1 to Open Doors and Bushcraft, +2 Climb. An additional +1 to these three skills at levels 4, 8, 12, and 16.
One first level spell. Yon are shamanistic and learn an additional spells as they grow in experience. They cannot be taught spells or learn them through research. These are considered gifts from Oogam. Every new level of experience, the Yon character learns a single spell of level equal to or less than their current level minus one. This spell can be randomly determined (yay) or chosen by the player (boo). Yon have their own spell list to choose from.
Damage bonus: Yon are stronger than humans and in addition to their bonus to Open Doors, they have a +1 to melee damage.
Can wield giant-sized weapons two-handed, and Great Weapons one handed.
Saves as Fighter
Experience Points and leveling up are the same as Elves.
Alignment: Yon are considered Lawful for alignment purposes.

Here is a picture of a Yon with a human magic user.


art by Brom

Warrior 4.0 BFRPG LotFP edition

The Warrior class combines elements of the classic Fighter, Barbarians, Rangers, Monks, and Knights. The reason for this is because I don’t think individual “prestige” classes are necessary and just make character creation more confusing and difficult, especially for players new to the game or role playing games in general.

This class gives the player options to build, over time, the character they want.

Hit Dice: d8
Saves: As a first level fighter. These do not improve with level; they improve with the following table.
Bonus to Hit: +1 at first level, and every level after.

Pick or roll twice from the following list. Do this at first level and every level after.

Weather Resistance:Bonus of +1 to any save against extreme temperature or inclement weather.
Primal Attraction: Use both Charisma and Strength modifiers for Morale and Reaction rolls.
Defensive Stance: +1 to Armor Class, -2 to hit. Re-rolling this gives another +1/-2
No need for armor: You have a +1 to AC and a +1 to damage in melee when you are not wearing armor, other than a helmet and/or shield. Re-rolling this grants an additional +1/+1.
Favored Enemy: Choose an animal, monster, or sentient species. You get a +1 to hit and +1 to damage against that specific type of creature, every time this is rolled. You are also -2 on Reaction rolls with creatures of that type every time this is rolled. You can pick anything from mosquitoes to bears to dragons to humans.
Two-Weapon fighting: You can hit with weapons in both hands. Your off hand has a -2 to hit, with no Strength bonus applicable. Re-rolling this gives a +1 to hit with the off hand.
You have an extra attack/action per round.
Fists of Steel: Your punches and kicks inflict +1 damage
Increase Hit Die by one type. In other words, your d8 is now a d10. Hit points are not re-rolled.
Intimidate: +1 to Charisma checks to instill fear against others. Intimidated opponents will cower or flee.
Attribute Bonus: +1 to any attribute, up to species maximum.
Save Bonus: +1 to all saves.
Bonus of +1 to a skill. So instead of 1 in 6, you have a 2 in 6.
Taunt: +1 to Charisma checks to taunt an opponent. Taunted opponents will attack against their own better judgement. Taunting counts as a non-attack action.
Ranged Bonus: Pick a specific ranged weapon type (short bow, heavy crossbow, sling, etc). You can attack twice as fast with that weapon. Re-rolling means 3x as fast.
Use two-handed weapon one handed. If re-rolled, you can wield a two-handed weapon in your off hand, as well.
Mounted bonus: You have a +1 bonus to damage with melee weapons while mounted, and can ride without a saddle or gear with no penalty. +1 damage whenever this is re-rolled.
Berserker Rage: When angry, you can enter into a trance-like state of fury. This grants a +2 to hit and damage, but a -4 to AC. The trance lasts for your Constitution in rounds, or until every living thing in sight is dead. Re-rolling this grants a +4 to hit and damage, but a -8 to AC.
Offensive Stance: +1 to hit, -2 AC. Re-rolling this gives another +1/-2
Animal Domination: With a Reaction roll you can befriend a wild animal who will now act as a retainer. The animal can not have been attacked by you or your allies in the past. Asking the animal to risk harm to itself requires another reaction roll. Failure means it will run away. Only one animal can be dominated at a time. Re-rolling this means an additional animal can be dominated.

Skills and Saving Throws

I’m always trying to think of ways to streamline and simplify rules and mechanics. Well, that’s not really true, usually I’m trying to think of something else (Should gorilla-men who live in treehouses and dump their waste to the forest floor have any special immunities or bonuses to save against the spores and disease of the fungus-people who collect the waste?) and then I get on a mental tangent and spend the rest of the day wondering why only Thieves have skills and why they are use a percentage die system while every other dice mechanic in the damn game is a d6 or d20.

More systems means more complication and more distractions during the game as players stop and ask which die they roll for a particular thing, and I find that terribly annoying. On the other hand, using a single die or mechanic for every single thing is boring and usually ends up with dice pools and all the bullshit and headaches that entails.

I like to keep it simple, yet interesting.

So I was thinking about the Prime attribute system in Castles and Crusades. It was created to simplify saving throws and skills by making them attribute checks. A Prime atribute means you have to roll 12 or better, a Secondary attribute means you have to roll an 18 or better. The GM also has modifiers (difficulty levels) that they can throw at your roll but that’s the gist of it.

The problem is that I’ve run Castles and Crusades before, and the players were constantly confused as to which attribute was prime and what they roll and what their bonus was and… the campaign fizzled. I thought maybe it was my fault, I didn’t explain the system well enough… blaming myself, really.

It wasn’t me though. The SIEGE system (what C&C calls their mechanic) is cluncky and weird and doesn’t work all that well when you look at it closely.

Sure, some skill might be under one of your Prime attributes, but since you’re the wrong class, you don’t get to add your level to it. Or, you are the right class, but you don’t have the right Prime attribute so you suck at something you should be good at. And why does every system want to front-load badassness into every character at 1st level? I remember back in the day all these hipster scumbags shitting on Rifts for front-loading characters and now every game does it. First level characters should be shit, and they should become slightly less shit as they gain experience.

Especially if you aren’t playing a superhero RPG.

When is someone going to publish a perfect system that I won’t have to rewrite?

Anyway… here is Saves and Skills

I believe characters should be built over time, hence the entire point of experience points and levels. Some games and players don’t use xp or levels. This isn’t for you.

Saving throws

Basically the same as C&C, but the terminology is removed because it is unnecesary.

To save, roll 18 or higher on a d20. Include all applicable modifiers. The GM (me) can add modifiers to indicate the difficulty of the situation. For example, the HD of a spellcaster is added to the dificulty of any saves against that spellcaster’s magic. Or an invisible trap will be harder to detect than an obvious hole in the ground.

If your character is a…

Warrior: You get +6 to Strength based saves
Magic User: You get +6 to either Intelligence or Wisdom saves (Player’s choice)
Specialist: You get +6 to Dexterity based saves

All characters get to choose two other attributes. The saves from each of these attributes have a bonus of +3.

Every level your character goes up, you get a +1 to ALL saves.

Skills

Skills doesn’t just mean the special skills of the specialist. Skills are pretty much anything not covered by a saving throw. For that reason, I’m not including a skill list.

To successfully roll a skill, you have to roll an 18 or higher on a d20.

Warriors and Magic Users focus on fighting and magic. Therefore they are not as adept at things not involving those two things.

Warriors and Magic Users add attribute modifiers to applicable skills.
This gives Warriors and Magic Users a 10% chance of success at first level, not including attribute bonuses.
Warriors and Magic Users have the possibility of selecting a “Class Skill,” which gives a particular skill the bonus of +1 per level of the character.

Specialists are all about skills. That’s the strength of the class!

Specialists receive a +3 to all skills, in addition to applicable attribute modifiers
Specialists receive a bonus of +1 per level of the character to all skills.
This gives the Specialist a 25% chance of success at first level, not including attribute bonuses.

Special note about Languages

Regardless of class, the Intelligence modifier indicates how many languages the character can speak and read, in addition to their native language.
There is no maximum number of Languages a character can know.
The Language skill is used to determine if the character knows a particular language when it is encountered for the first time. It is rolled as any other skill.