I've been moving into some scary territory lately with my thinking. I'm heading towards the bare bone, lighter than light rules like Microlite20, and WhiteBox (which I've always heavily house ruled). I'm starting to think of house rules that further simplify the game, instead of add "depth" or "customization". Who knows where it will lead me, or if I'll change my mind again. There are always more complex rules system to switch to if I do.
Right now though, I've talking with my wife about running, essentially "classless" D&D. I should really say, running only one class: the "Adventurer". I know a few D&D style games do this, Searchers of the Unknown is the first that springs to mind. I'm thinking everyone will get a d6 hit die, players and monsters. I'm going to stick with Ascending AC because it's easy, and I'm thinking everyone will get +1 "to hit" per level, using the 20-AC method, instead of 19-AC like Swords & Wizardry suggests. I know number inflation is bad, but this is simple, and it's OD&D, so it's not like you get a lot of bonuses. In any case it will cap at 10. If I do use descending AC, I'll have a single table for all creatures based on hit dice.
Another reason for coming to this conclusion, is something I discussed in my "Spell Dice" post. Magic is usually the longest section of most rule books. Furthermore, it causes a lot of the problems of later games. Weird special abilities, long lists to keep track, slowing down game play, feelings of the game being "unbalanced" (a non-problem). My solution, something a lot of people (at least on the OD&D boards) have discussed, is to make magic truly magical.
To accomplish this, everyone will start of as a plain "Adventurer", and magic will have to be discovered and learned. What I really mean is stumbled upon. I won't go into too much detail, but I'll give some examples. I want ancient rune stones, sacred altars to ancient gods, and cursed tombs of bygone kings to play a larger part in my games. Magic will be more environmental, stumbled upon, and mysterious.
Right now I'm thinking of four types of magic in my game: material, ritual, sorcery, and alchemy. I'll go over material last, but it will be "D&D" magic: scrolls, staves, wands, and spell books that have to be found, purchased, etc. Ritual will be the most common I'm thinking. Ceremonies, lasting anywhere from 10 minutes to 10 days, that have cosmic, almost incidental consequences. Influencing the universe, trapping creatures, summoning minions, opening portals, etc. There will almost always be some material components required. Rituals will have to be learned, probably from some ancient tome, or performed by a wise and old sage. Carcosa, and Call of Cthulhu d20 are great examples of this system.
Sorcery will be spells that can be memorized, and then cast spontaneously, however at a great price. Sorcery will probably have to be taught, by some experienced Wizard. Casting sorcery spells will usually cost hit points, and sometimes it will drain attribute points. Crypts & Things as well as Microlite20 are examples of this method.
Alchemy will the art of crafting potions, salves, tinctures, and oils. Players will have to purchase or scavenge ingredients, and have the proper tools to brew and mix their concoctions. Potions will usually be of the usual D&D variety, 3rd Edition and Pathfinder having good systems that could be used as inspiration. Furthermore The Elder Scrolls series has always had a fun alchemy system, and the 1st Edition Dungeon Masters Guide has a section on herbs and ingredients.
Finally material magic will be use of magical items to either cast spells or cause magical effects. The most rudimentary forms of this will be magical weapons, though I'm starting to not like them. It's a purely aesthetic difference, but I prefer "ancient" or "finely crafted" items to grant the more basic +1s and +2s. Judges guild used special materials like mythril, something else I prefer doing. If I do include magical weapons, they will be of a truly magical nature, like Fire Blades or Lightning Hammers.
The usual magic items may be found in treasure hoards, and ancient ruins. Ring of the Cat-Burglar, Cloaks of Invisibility and the like. However what players will most likely covet are Scrolls, Wands, and Staves. One benefit of magic only be found this way, is it will make it the party's. Hopefully at least, if the party finds a single scroll, they will use it as a group tool; not as an individual player's ability. However if a player wants to be a Wizard they will need to hunt down magical items to equip themselves with. These items will be costly to maintain, and limited in ability, since it will most likely be one spell per item. This leads me to my next topic: role playing through choice.
Now this may seem archaic, over-simplified, or even like "bad role play", but I've come to the realization most classes are just equipment choice. At least they can be. If you want to be a knight, equip plate mail, shield, and long sword. If you want to be a swashbuckler, wear leather armor and grab a rapier. If you want to be a wizard, grab a magical staff.
This is great for several reasons. Players won't be shoe horned into how they play the game. Their character's will evolve as they play. Some abilities will be restricted by current equipment; metal might spoil magic (I know this isn't the actual case in D&D) so no armor for wizards. You can't be stealthy in metal armor, so only leather for rogues and sneaky types. When players get bored with a play style, they can sell or store their equipment, and outfit themselves differently.
Of course there are other avenues of "character customization" through game play. You can grant miracles for pious characters who sacrifice frequently, perform burial rituals, and pray at their God's alter. A character that uses only one weapon their whole career may gain a bonus "to-hit" with that weapon. If a character frequently fights a particular enemy, and role-plays a true hatred for them, they might gain a bonus to damage. This also lets characters evolve through game play, and models the class feature progressions and feats of newer games.
Anyhow, I'm going to provide some examples for how to equip a character to role play. This isn't all encompassing, it's just some examples.
If you want to play a thief, this is probably the best example of equipping your character with the right tools. Be sure to have lock picks, climbing rope and grappling hook, a dagger for backstabbing, and light armor to be stealthy. I've already gone over how I would handle the thief in my games, so I won't bother repeating myself.
A player wanting to have a bard would obviously want an instrument of some sort, a song book or journal (useful for taking notes on lore). In real life, armies have used musicians for morale and organization for ages. A simple +1 bonus to rolls (attack, damage, saving throws, etc.) if the character performs inspirational music, whether before or during is up to the Referee. Some Bards could take the opposite approach like a Jester, and taunt or demoralize enemies. Such performances could also serve to distract creatures, and if the Bard practices they could eventually send creatures into a trance. The Bard's music could also improve his initial disposition with encountered parties.
If the player were to abstain from blood shed by using blunt weapons, pray frequently, and observe the rights and ceremonies of his religion, he might start to gain miraculous powers to heal or bless others and himself. Such a character would want to carry a holy symbol or relic, a prayer book of some sort or other religious text, and possibly other religious miscellany like candles or incense.
Players wanting to play a ranger or scout, like a rogue, would need to dress light to move quickly and quietly. Ranged weapons would be preferred, to hunt quarry and attack from cover. Using two weapons is an option as well, and I would allow them roll damage for both, taking the higher value rolled, on successful attacks. Traps for catching animals, or caltrops for setting up ambushes are another must for such a character. General wilderness equipment should be carried such as rope, a ten foot pole, an axe and knife, etc. Finally vials, bottles, sacks, and pouches for storing gathered materials like foods and ingredients are extremely useful. In fact food is often useful when trying to befriend wild animals.
To play a cavalier the character would obviously need a horse. This is expensive of course, so the character would have to work up to such a status, as would be the case in real life. The horse alone is of major benefit, usually granting at least a +2 in combat, and allow speedy movement. Most games have rules for charging, and that is done even easier while mounted, and the benefits would possibly be even more. In many rule sets a lance, while mounted does double damage, a favorite tactic of one of my players in fact.
An interesting take on the usual "Druid/Ranger" animal companion type might be a beastmaster or animal trainer. I would encourage if the player did want a more nature-friendly druid, that they seek out an animal companion and role-play the encounter, attempting to befriend an animal. Animals are not simply conjured from thin air, or called out from the wild. However for a different take, the beastmaster or animal trainer, could buy "tamed" or captured creatures. Of course the more exotic, dangerous, or powerful creatures would be very expensive, or hard to find. To start with though, war dogs, hunting falcons, or a even a smart ferret could be used by a cunning player.
There is the limitation of how much a character can carry on them at one time, which severs as an incidental form of balance. On the other hand, any character who can manage to carry with him a variety of equipment, or reasonably role play many talents at once, can attempt to be "jack of all trades".
None of the above prevents abilities like "class features" or "feats", as I described even further above. Like I said, they would need to be role played, and gained through game play as rewards. Of course this is not a game style for everyone, and games like Swords & Wizardry and Microlite20 point this out. There are tons of games that provide ready mechanics for character customization. I hope the above provides some inspiration, and makes you think about how you play your fantasy adventure games. In fact I've found most class features are highly dependent how the character is equipped, or not equipped (in the case of the Rogue or Barbarian).
No comments:
Post a Comment