Eldritch Fields
Thursday, January 25, 2024
3x10 initiation rites
Saturday, January 20, 2024
[Dungeon] "The Arnesonium" - a Blackmoorian exercise
Tuesday, January 9, 2024
Lycanthropy rules, based on the Turn Undead table
A simple
system for player characters infected with lycanthropy!
There are
two types of transformation: voluntary
or forced.
Forced transformation happens under setting-specific
circumstances: full moon, passing of a comet, meteor shower, drugs, anger or
stress, trigger word for hypnotic suggestion, etc.
The player
must roll on the following chart, 2d6 for voluntary transformation, 3d6 with “disadvantage”
(roll 3 dice, keep the 2 worst).
|
Lycanthrope type (HD) ** |
|||||
Level * |
Wererat (3) |
Werewolf (4) |
Wereboar (4+1) |
Weretiger (5) |
Werebear (6) |
Devil Swine (9) |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
2 |
11 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
3 |
9 |
11 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
4 |
7 |
9 |
11 |
- |
- |
- |
5 |
T |
7 |
9 |
11 |
- |
- |
6 |
T |
T |
7 |
9 |
11 |
- |
7 |
D |
T |
T |
7 |
9 |
11 |
8 |
D |
D |
T |
T |
7 |
9 |
9 |
D |
D |
D |
T |
T |
7 |
10 |
D |
D |
D |
D |
T |
T |
11 |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
T |
12+ |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
- = transformation and uncontrolled rage for a number of rounds equal to
double the Lycanthrope HD, then transform back and crash (unconsciousness for 1
hour)
11, 9, 7 = roll equal or higher to retain control for a
number of rounds equal to character level, then rage for a number of rounds equal
to Lycanthrope HD, transform back and check for crashing (save vs Petrification
or lose consciousness for 1 hour)
T = transform and retain control for a number of rounds equal to
character level, then transform back; unable to transform again until after a
night’s rest
D = transform, retain control and transform back at-will, no crashing
* Reddit user Maz437 proposed an addition to the system:
This is based not on absolute character level, but on "levels spent with the curse".
However, that also means that mightier high-level characters (who level slowly), will spend a LOT of time trying to learn to control the disease, which is also a bit strange (logically, a high-level character would have an easier time retainig control).
** HD values based on OSE. Modify as needed...
Wednesday, December 27, 2023
[Secret Santicorn!!] A second, more serious oracle for character simulation: The Methodical Oracle
As promised, a more serious offering for Kirt Dankmeyr, based on his request of a "A small oracle for solo OSR play oriented toward simulating party members and not the GM. Tho bonus points for a GM replacement oracle that dovetails with the first one".
The Methodical Oracle!
The point of this small oracle is to aid the solo GM in "in-character" decision making.
Create a Profile
for each player character in the party by assigning one of the five Methods to
each slot:
Profile
types:
Balanced |
Focused |
Hyperfocused |
Method slots |
2-3 |
2 |
2 |
Rare |
4-5 |
3-5 |
3-4 |
Secondary |
6-8 |
6-8 |
5-9 |
Main |
9-10 |
9-11 |
10-11 |
Secondary |
11-12 |
12 |
12 |
Rare |
The five Methods:
Violence |
Direct confrontation,
brute-forcing |
Diplomacy |
Smooth-talking,
bartering, calling in other parties (e.g. NPCs) |
Knowledge |
Monster lore, survivalism,
arts & crafts, history & politics |
Trickery |
Exploitation of the
space, devices, creative use of objects, falsehoods |
Magic |
Spell-slinging, prayer
to higher forces, decipherment of arcane clues, activation of weird objects |
The Procedure:
At any
decision point, pick or randomize a lead character. Then roll 2d6 and consult
the character’s Profile to see which Method they offer.
To make
things more interesting, pick or randomize a second character and cross-check
their Method using the same roll result as the lead’s (so if you rolled 6 for
the lead, check what’s a 6 on the second character’s Profile). Describe the
conflict or the synthesis of their Methods. You can use a standard Reaction
roll to see whether the other character likes or dislikes the alternative
proposal.
Example
Profiles:
Bubba the
Wizard
Hyperfocused |
Method |
2 |
Violence |
3-4 |
Knowledge |
5-9 |
Magic |
10-11 |
Trickery |
12 |
Diplomacy |
Morax the Duelist
Focused |
Method |
2 |
Knowledge |
3-5 |
Trickery |
6-8 |
Diplomacy |
9-11 |
Violence |
12 |
Magic |
Example Decisions:
Situation 1.
The party enters
a cave, the lair of a dozen goblins. The goblins are surprised. Bubba the
Wizard takes the lead, and, after some deliberations (2d6: 11 = Trickery),
offers to sneak by them. Morax the Duelist (11 = Violence) might offer to take advantage
of the situation and charge the unaware goblins.
Situation 2.
The party
is looking for their patron’s stolen ring in the big city. Morax the Duelist
takes the lead and comes up with the ingenious plan (2d6: 5 = Trickery) to
create a fake ring. Bubba the Wizard (5 = Magic, Reaction roll: 9 = Positive)
agrees and checks his books for an illusion spell to help with the plan.
Friday, December 15, 2023
[Secret Santicorn!!] Player simulation oracle for solo games
It's Santicorn-time on the OSR discord server!
Kirt Dankmyer requested "A small oracle for solo OSR play oriented toward simulating party members and not the GM. Tho bonus points for a GM replacement oracle that dovetails with the first one."
Okay, my entry here is a bit of a stretch... But to truly replicate the OSR (and RPG...) experience, you need to account for the whims of the players themselves! So, you, as the solo DM, present the situation, then roll to see just how you, the solo player, are interested in this stuff...
THE PLAYER REACTION CHART (2D6)
|
|
Sample quip (1d5) |
2 |
deal with it begrudgingly |
1. “Mehh, I think riddles are stupid” 2. “Sure, although this is not how
Jeff runs it” 3. “This fight is a slog, I stab
myself” 4. “Ugh, not *another* ‘you start in
a tavern’ session” 5. “This goes against all established
lore though” |
3-5 |
scatterbrain |
1. “Sorry, I thought this was still
Elsa’s turn” 2. “Remind me, who is this guy again” 3. “Wait, what do I roll for that?” 4. “Yeah, it’s on my character sheet.
Or this piece of scratch paper. I just can’t read it” 5. “Can I borrow your dice?” |
6-8 |
acknowledge & participate |
1. “Yes, this is all part of the game” 2. “Fair enough, I hit it with my
sword” 3. “I ask the wizard if he knows the
location of Castle whatsitsname” 4. “My thief checks the lock for
traps” 5. “We ascend the stairs” |
9-11 |
honest interest |
1. “Oh, I have this in my notes!” 2. “Let’s try and befriend these
goblins, we need allies against the Fish Lords” 3. “That blacksmith is quite a
character, I’m sure we can ask about her battlescars AFTER we are done with
what we had planned” 4. “What a quirky trap! We reset it
to lure the next monster into it” 5. “And I have just the spell we
need!” |
12 |
HYPERFIXATE |
1. “OMG so adorable let’s adopt this random
gnome fighter” 2. “We could make so much money by
bottling the healing water from this random pool! Leave dungeon crawling
behind” 3. “I check for secret doors and
traps every 5’ instead of 10’. There MUST be something here” 4. “No, these broken chairs cannot
simply be dungeon dressing. The GM mentioned them for a reason” 5. “Okay, I examine the next book.
And the next. The next one too…” |