A-Z 10 Year Update: B is for Basic Dungeons and Dragons

This post has been edited and updated since being originally published on April 2, 2012.

A to Z: Gaming in the 1980s 

Basic Dungeons & Dragons
In my old gaming group, Basic D&D saw a lot of play along with AD&D.  We were always swapping out modules or other materials between the two games.  Although none of us ever did purchase or play OD&D, there were several different versions of the Basic rules spread throughout the group.

Holmes Basic D&D Rules

I was the only one that had the Holmes version of the basic set.  It is more of an introductory version because it only covers character levels 1 - 3; for further advancement, it was recommended that the reader move on to the AD&D rules.  It also deviated in some of the rules areas such as weapon damage being a straight D6 for everything with daggers being able to be used twice per round and two handed weapons being used every other round.  An attempt at balance but ultimately misguided.  There were also mention of classes and races that have not traditionally been part of the D&D rules such as the witch, samurai, and even some of the more exotic races being allowed if the DM approves.  In an interesting twist, the alignment system is also different.  The three alignment axis from OD&D is gone and the nine alignment axis from AD&D is not used but a five alignment system is used in the Holmes set.  It is interesting to note that one of the rules changes that has caused quite a stir from 4E was first tried in this early set of the rules.  This is still one of my favorite presentations of the D&D rules with the artwork, font, and layout all combined together.  It is a shame that no follow up products - Expert Set, etc. - were produced for this set.  I would have liked to have seen what could have been.

Moldvay/Cook B/X (Basic/Expert) Rules  

There were several sets of this version of the Basic rules owned by various members of our playing group.  There were some differences from Holmes in this set.  The three axis alignment returned and I believe there was a clear distinction between D&D and AD&D with these rules.  I also believe that variable weapon damage returned instead of the universal D6 weapon damage seen in Holmes.  As much as I absolutely love the Holmes version of the rules, I must say that the layout and presentation of the B/X rules is the perfect representation of Basic Dungeons & Dragons.

Mentzer B-E-C-M-I Rules ( Basic, Expert, Companion, Masters, Immortals) 

Everyone in our playing group had a copy of Basic through Masters;  it allowed play until level 36.  I personally never bought the Immortals set and I am unsure of whether or not other members of our group purchased the set.  Eventually, I believe that these separate sets were edited together to form the basis of the Rules Cyclopedia that would come later.  I thoroughly enjoyed that product but I admit that I was not a big fan of the Mentzer sets.  It all comes down to their presentation.  It really is that simple.  I felt that these sets were too "polished" and too "professional" to properly convey the feeling and atmosphere that the other sets were so good at getting across to me.  Put simply, it felt like the suspension of disbelief and immersion had been scaled down with the layout and presentation used throughout these sets.  Don't get me wrong, I would still gladly play using these rules today if I had the opportunity it but the presentation just was not my favorite out of the three versions.

I have very little to add to this post.  I still maintain that Holmes and the B/X rulebooks were my two favorite versions of the D&D. This opinion is without actually owning OD&D but from looking through Delving Deeper and other similar clones I think OD&D would most likely push those down a notch.  I will get OD&D at some point.

Update on The TSR Reprints I Want...

Back in November of 2012 I posted about The TSR Reprints I Want and I never followed up to that post.  I was scrolling through my reading list and noticed that post was still getting read from time to time as I passed by the stats portion of the page.  Just for fun I decided to revisit that post and see what is and what is not available now.

B/X D&D

Then: No pdf or print option available.

Now: The only option at the moment remains to be pdf for the Basic and/or Expert rules.

D&D Rules Cyclopedia

Then: No pdf or print option available.

Now: A range of options available for the Rules Cyclopedia from pdf, softcover book, hardcover book, and bundles with pdf and print together.

AD&D Unearthed Arcana

Then: No pdf or print option available.

Now: Several options for Unearthed Arcana including pdf, standard color hardcover, premium color hardcover, and bundles with pdf and print together.

Gamma World (1st Edition)

Then: No pdf or print option available.

Now: .Softcover, pdf, or a combo purchase for original Gamma World are available.

Gamma World (2nd Edition)

Then: No pdf or print option available.

Now: The only option available for Gamma World 2E is pdf.  

All of them are available in pdf and half of them are available in a print on demand format.    I have found my B/X books but I will most likely purchase the pdfs in the future to avoid further table use of my originals.  I will probably get them printed in a spiral binding.  The Rules Cyclopedia is a must buy for me.  I have had two copies over the years and parted ways with both of them regrettably.  Another must buy is Unearthed Arcana so I can replicate my old collection that needs replaced.  I had a copy of the original Gamma World  years ago so I will most likely get a printed copy soon.  Second edition is one I have never owed but I just might sprint for the pdf at some time in the near future.

[Fixing an Omission] K is for Karnin

A to Z 2013 is long over but I just figured something out - my "K" post was blank.  I do not know if it got eaten by the Blogger Gremlins or if I just screwed it up in my haste to get everything ready.  I got kind of lucky because I still have a copy in Word.  Without further delay, here is the monster entry version for the Karnin, a canine race from the world of Toldara.

 

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K is for Karnin

Karnin are another option for a PC race from the Toldara campaign.  The Karnin have much in common with the Anshus but the similarities have not resulted in harmony but rivalry and competition between the two cultures; much like the Dwarf & Elf wars that are in the histories of several campaigns I have played in.  It seemed to be a common event in the 80s.  I am not 100% sure that the Karnin are going to be a playable race in the B/X campaign so I am providing them as a monster entry in B/X format.

Karnin

Armor Class:       6                                                         No. Appearing:    1-6 (5-40)

Hit Dice:               1+1                                                    Save As:                 Fighter 1

Move:                   120’ (40’)                                          Morale:                 9          

Attacks:                2 claws/ 1 bite/ 1 weapon            Treasure Type:     U

Damage:              1-4/1-4/by weapon                         Alignment:            Lawful

Karnin are canine humanoids standing almost seven feet tall.  They can be found most everywhere and have a deep respect for the natural order of things and believe it is their duty to be resourceful instead of wasteful.  Karnin are open to visitors in their realms and can make powerful allies.  For every 18 karnin encountered there will be one leader (level 3-8: 1d6+2) and who may have magical items.  To check for possible magical items, multiply the leader’s level by 5.  The result is the percentage chance for that leader to own a magical item from any one particular subtable.  Roll separately for each subtable, and check all the magic subtables.  Karnin feel a general animosity towards Anshus and will be on alert in their presence.  Individual members of these two races may become friends but these two cultures will most likely never experience more than short, sporadic moments of peace between them.    

 

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Still not quite "perfect" but it is getting there...

 

Time For Commitment

I started this blog with no other reason than to post primarily on gaming; of course, I make occasional side treks into other topics along the way.  I have been posting as the mood hits up until this point but I think it is time to come up with a set schedule.  I believe I will commit to post once a week for the foreseeable future; Saturdays will most likely be the day.  This will allow me to focus on just one post at a time and improve the quality of the posts.  That does not mean that I will not post more from time to time when the mood fits. 

I know I need to post on the following for the sake of completion:

• Finish the read through of the Adventures in Fantasy rules.
• More information on my Toldara B/X campaign.
• Fleshing out some of my ideas from my old gaming notebook collection. 

Those are just the topics that I am sure about using.  Just out of curiosity, what do my readers think?  Here is your chance to voice your opinion if you have a strong opinion on anything - what would you like to read more of, what would you like to see less of, what fits, what is out of place, or are you perfectly fine with reading whatever happens to catch your attention?

S is for Slarn (B/X Monster)

S is for Slarns (a B/X Monster)
Slarns are another option for a PC race from the Toldara campaign; I am not 100% sure that the Karnin are going to be a playable race in the B/X campaign so I am providing them as a monster entry in B/X format.  The Slarns are somewhat similar in appearance to the Lizard Men but Slarns inhabit the deserts and tropical climates of Toldara. Some speculate the two species may be related but the truth is uncertain.   

Slarn version 1.0

Armor Class:       5                                                              No. Appearing:    1-6 (5-50)
Hit Dice:               1+1                                                          Save As:                Fighter 1
Move:                   90’ (30’)                                                 Morale:                 8          
Attacks:                2 claws/ 1 bite/ 1 weapon                 Treasure Type:     U
Damage:              1-4/1-6/by weapon                             Alignment:             Neutral
 
Slarns are green scaled humanoids resembling a lizard or alligator in appearance.  Slarns typically reside in the tropical and desert regions of Toldara.  Slarns tend to stick to their own lands but some do set out into the larger world seeking adventure.  For every 20 Slarn encountered there will be one leader (level 3-8: 1d6+3) and who may have magical items. To check for possible magical items, multiply the leader’s level by 5.  The result is the percentage chance for that leader to own a magical item from any one particular subtable.  Roll separately for each subtable, and check all the magic subtables.

R is for Role-Playing OR Roll-Playing

R is for Role-Playing OR Roll-Playing

 

I am sure most of the gamers reading this post have seen these similar terms and noticed the subtle difference in the spelling - just one small letter changed from an "e" to a "l" in the middle of the word.  Of course, there must be a difference in the spelling of these two words since they do, in fact, have different meanings.  I believe a quick example of each term will better illustrate the difference between them instead of repeating a textbook definition.  For the following example, I will assume that there is one Dungeon Master and two players; one a role-player and the other a roll-player.

 

The characters have been exploring each room in an abandoned mine complex.  As they are leaving one room to enter a hallway, the party of adventurers run into a group of Orcs scavenging remains in the caves.

 

Dungeon Master: The Orcs drop the valuables they had just picked off the remains on the floor and put their hands on their swords.  The leader snarls and declares, "What are YOU doing in here?".

 

Role-Player Ralph: I hold up my hands in a non-threatening manner and say, "Surely, there is enough valuables laying around for all of us to get some?".

 

Roll-Player Ron: I negotiate with the Orcs.  [rolls d20] 

 

That simple example should serve to illustrate the difference between the two play styles.  I am just pointing out the difference between the styles and not the merit of each.  In my opinion, it does not matter how you are playing as long as you are having fun.  This is not math - where 2+2=4 is always right - but a recreational activity. 

 

I have played using both styles and switch back and forth depending on what else is going on.  If we are just cruising through the game while chatting away about movies and stuff then I slide into roll-player mode and just make a quick statement and roll the dice.  If we are doing some focused gaming then I will go in depth with the descriptions.  I have fun either way.

 

I feel the same way as a DM.  If you want to interact by role-playing in great detail how your character is attempting to negotiate, pick a lock, etc. then I am all for it and will encourage that by occasionally giving a bonus to the roll or I might ignore a failure at times.  If you want to interact by making simple statements such as "I attack" or "I negotiate with..." or something similar then I will in all likelihood proceed according to the results of the dice when it comes to success or failure.  Who knows?    

 

 

 

Q is for Quest-Driven

Q is for Quest-Driven

 

Quests will be the driving force of most adventures in the B/X Toldara campaign.  Some of you may be scratching your head and thinking "No crap, it's D&D you fool!".  Well, I just want to make sure that my potential players realize that I am not running a political, religious, dramatic, horror, or any other type of campaign.  I run a good old fashioned, kick in the door fantasy questing game.  Does that mean that none of that other stuff will ever show up in our games?  I will definitely use elements of politics, religion, horror, drama, etc. in adventures or even have entire chapters of the campaign focused on that style of adventuring but I will mainly be focusing on quests here and there for this or that and to defeat the evil of the world. 

P is for Potential Players

P is for Potential Players

I have not given it a lot of thought but I do have a list of potential players for my new B/X Toldara campaign.  It has been a while since I last Dungeon Mastered a game but the easier work load of B/X is one of the reasons I picked it for the new campaign.  The following people all have a reserved spot if they choose to fill it and other players may be added.

 

Alex Butler:  My cousin and co-creator of the original Toldara campaign material.  He runs and is in charge of the Pathfinder powered campaign. 

Jamie King:  I have known Jamie since the 2nd grade and we starting playing D&D together way back in the 80s.

Others:  There is a good chance that one or more of our leading ladies may also play.  Alex's fiancé is a regular player in his games, Jamie's girlfriend has never played and neither has my wife. 

Who knows how this will work out?  It is kind of interesting that it will be a mix of old school, new school, and inexperienced players all at the same table if everybody plays...

N is for No Experience Awards for Treasure

N is for No Experience Awards for Treasure

 

The slow advancement table was used when the Toldara campaign was converted over to the Pathfinder rules.  I seem to remember during our B/X days in my youth that the characters seemed to advance pretty quickly.  Honestly, we may have been doing it "wrong" but that is just my impression.  There will be some changes to the B/X experience rules found on page B22 to simulate slower advancement:

• Experience Points are only awarded for monster's defeated by following the table on page B22.
• No experience is awarded for non-magical treasure found during play.
• The total experience gained during an adventure is split among all participants, not just the survivors.  If someone does not make it, then tat share of the experience is lost.
• All characters, whether PC or NPC, get one full share of the experience awarded.  Whether directed or not the NPC followers and hirelings participated to the party's success.

Of course, this is subject to change but that is my idea for slower character advancement. 

M is for Methods of Ability Score Generation

M is for Methods of Ability Score Generation
I like to provide players with options and I have done so with 4 new methods to generate ability scores.  Some of these will be familiar while some will be new.  The only stipulation I have is that all of the players use the same method. 

2D6+6

The player rolls 2D6 and adds 6 to the result to obtain the score for each of their abilities.

4D6-L

The player rolls 4D6, drops the lowest die face, and totals the remaining 3 dice to generate the score for each of their abilities.

9D6x2

The player rolls 9D6 and splits the dice into groups of three to apply to Strength, Dexterity, & Constitution.  The player repeats this process for Intelligence, Wisdom, & Charisma.

18D6

The player rolls 18D6 and assigns 3 dice to each of the abilities to their choosing.

L is for Locations

L is for Locations
Locations in the B/X Toldara campaign for adventure, exploration, and interaction is the subject of this post.  Of course, any campaign that lasts a while will have many locations for the PCs to visit for one reason or another.  Since I am starting over with the B/X Toldara campaign I am going to focus on one starting area that will provide a population center to serve as a base of operations along with some near and not quite so near locations to serve as opportunities for adventure.  The following notes will are to be used as a base for further ideas.

About the Town

Toldara is the name of the world.  I need a name for the town.

I want the name to be based on something to do with B/X; either using those two letters in the name or something similar sounding to Moldvay.  You get the idea.

The town is somewhere around 6,500 people and well established.

The town is close to a river (used for long transport) and they have established an outpost at a mine in the nearby mountains.

In the Town

There is a town square in the middle of town that has an announcement board with employment notices for guard duty, escort services, etc.

There are several taverns & inns.  The rougher crowd hangs out at The Bloody Claw.

Several religious organizations are present in the city.  (The Church of Grax, etc.)

Near To the Town

The nearby mine is a major source of income and the town exports many goods that are connected to their labors inside.  Rumors persist of “something” in the lower levels of the mines.

There are also some abandoned ruins in the mountain range.

Trail (trade route) leading off to several other towns.

 

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The above is just some rough notes to help in laying out a base town and getting the players ready for adventuring.  More to come...

J is for Justice

For some reason, J has been a struggle for me.  I had all of the other posts for this week scheduled well ahead of time.  I tried coming up with a new monster, magic item, spell, etc. but I was drawing a blank.  Then I thought of justice and how it applies.  It may be a slim post but here it goes... 

 

Justice, according to the Bing DICTIONARY is defined in the following ways:

 

1.  fairness: fairness or reasonableness, especially in the way people are treated or decisions are made

2.  system or application of law: the legal system, or the act of applying or upholding the law

3.  validity: validity in law

4.  good reason: sound or good reason

5.  judge: a judge, especially of a higher court

 

The second definition is what I was concerned with when thinking about this post.  Justice takes many forms on the world of Toldara.  There is no central power that meters out justice for the entire world.  Each society has its own spin on the application and administration of justice.  Some empires have a vast legal system that tries to cover all bases; these systems require a trained person to act as a representative for each side.  Other cultures have a tribunal that will judge the situation and hand out decisions.  The Slarn have a barbaric system of trial by combat to decide the guilt and fate of the accused.  Just like the real world, Toldara has many forms of justice and law throughout the world.

 

Whew!  I made a relevant J post without resorting to "just no ideas" or something similar...

 

 

 

 

I is for Ignore and Inspiration

I is for Ignore and Inspiration

I was running a little short on ideas for a single subject post so I doubled up on this also.  Consider it a bonus  since there are two different subjects for this post.  If you must, then consider it as just covering up for a lack of ideas – take your pick!

I is for Ignore

What portions of the B/X rules system will I ignore for the Toldara campaign?  The B/X rules are not cumbersome to use at all.  In fact, they are adequate, complete, and very manageable.  That is the main attraction for using them.  There are, however, a few things that I am probably not going to use during play.

Alignment languages: I have just never been a fan of the alignment tongues; it seems silly to me.  I *think* they were included to simulate stuff like “the dark speech of Mordor” mentioned by Gandalf or maybe the true name magic from Earthsea.  It is an intriguing concept and is relevant to the fantasy genre of fiction but I do not like the super simple alignment language system in D&D.

Level titles: I have absolutely no objections to level titles for the classes.  I just do not want to come up with new titles for any new classes I design – plain and simple.  If a player wants to use level titles then that is perfectly fine with me.

I is for Inspiration

What is my inspiration for the Toldara campaign and where does it come from?  The easiest answer is that there is not just one source for my inspiration and I have used several ideas from several areas.  The more detailed answer is below.

Miscellaneous: I have drawn ideas from many different sources over the years.  If I run across something I like from a book, TV show, video game, or other source then I will try to include it.  For example, I like the concept of the Cauldron-Born monsters from The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander.  I would like to work up a conversion of them but it has been years since I read the books.  It does give me a reason to read them again.

Old Campaigns: There are a ton of old campaigns we played when I was growing up.  Admittedly, I do not remember all of the details but if I can remember something cool or useful then there is no reason that I cannot recycle it.

 

Original Toldara: The original Toldara was based on the 3E/PF rules but this campaign is firmly based in the B/X rules.  That does not mean that I am simply going to convert everything over.  I am using this opportunity to think about what I would do differently.  It is safe to consider it something like an ElseWorlds story from DC.  The B/X campaign will be familiar but different in its own right.

H is for Half-Elf and Half-Orc

H is for Half-Elves and Half-Orcs

Half-Elves and Half-Orcs are both included as character options in the original rules – 3E, 3.5E, and later Pathfinder – used for the Toldara campaign.  These two races are not available in the B/X rules so I was faced with a decision.  I could just delete them from the options available to players.  I did not want to do that because it seemed like retroactive restrictions being put in place.  The other option was to do a B/X version of both of these races.  Of course, in B/X these two races will become demi-human race-as-class listings.  My initial thoughts on these two races are listed below.

Half-Elves
Half-Elves appear to be human at first glance.  Upon closer inspection an experienced eye can see the differences.  A half-elf tends to be about the same height as a human of similar age but the ears are slightly pointed, the eyes are somewhat wider, and they can not grow a beard.  Half-Eves tend to share their elven parents fascination with magic.   

Half-Orcs
Half-Orcs remain a mystery in the world today.  Many rumors persist about their origins but none know for certain.  Some believe they came about from the spoils of war, some believe they are the results of a magical experiment gone wrong, and still others believe they were created from a moment of divine retribution in the ancient past. 

I am still working on these two races.  I want to avoid the Half-Elves as just "humans with an advantage" and portray them as a mixture of the two races.  I am not sure about giving them infravision with a limited range - say 30 feet - or just eliminating it altogether.  They will have a reduced ability to find secret doors and instead of being immune to being paralyzed by ghouls like their elf parent will have a 2 in 6 chance or maybe a better saving throw; something to think about.  I am not sure whether to give them reduced spell casting ability or let them have natural spell-like abilities that would improve with levels.

Again, I want the Half-Orc to be something more than "ugly and rude".  There should be a little more characterization to them or they might as well just stay as monsters.  I am thinking the Half-Orcs will basically be a B/X version of a barbarian with berserk rage. 

G is for Game Systems

G is for Game System(s)

There are several game systems that I have debated about using for the campaign world of Toldara.  I discussed some of the original design in the 3E system and the evolution to a Pathfinder based campaign on my About Me Me page.  I discussed the decision to change my Toldara game to the B/X system in my earlier post, Back to the Basics. At other times, I have thought about using other game systems but ultimately decided against doing so.  Maybe one or more of these will happen in the future?

GURPS 3E or Hero 5E

I am fascinated by the amount of detail in both of these systems.  These are two of the games in my collection that I have never gotten to play.  It seems that none of the people I have ever gamed with are interested in that level of detail. 

Palladium Fantasy
I played just as much Palladium Fantasy as I played AD&D back in high school.  I made up some classes for the old first edition rules back then also.  Unfortunately, all I have is the second edition of this game and I have no practical experience playing or designing items for use with this version.  There seem to be enough differences that I would not feel comfortable converting my campaign over to these rules.  Of course, it might be easier to convert the player information over with the inclusion of all of the available OCCs, RCCs, and races.  For instance, the Wolfen could be re-skinned to be the Karnin as one quick example.  Hmmm…. 

Talislanta

I discovered Talislanta with the second edition.  We played quite a few games back in high school.  Future editions added quite a bit of detail.  If I was going to convert to the Talislanta system I would probably use the second edition due to my experience.  At the time of starting the campaign I was concerned with the out of print status of Talislanta so I skipped it; yes, I am aware that a large amount of formerly printed Talislanta products are available for download in free pdf form at the Talislanta Library.  I was the only person with a printed Talislanta rulebook but all of us had a B/X rulebook so Talislanta was eliminated.   

USR

This game system is even more rules-light than the B/X rules and someone else has already started doing a Moldvay Era conversion.  A Toldara campaign using this system is highly likely to happen at some point.

F is for Fighter and Free

F is for Fighter

For as long as I have been playing some version of D&D I have never liked the term “fighter” or “fighting-man”.  I just would have preferred that a different name was used for the class.  I think "warrior" sounds much better.  The use of "fighter" is not a deal breaker or anything like that.  It is just one of those things in a game I enjoy that happen to be somewhat annoying.  I am sure everyone has something that is "not right" about something they enjoy also. 

F is for Free

In this case, free means “free to download”.  I am doing this for fun and not a professional (read as paid) game designer so I will make the B/X Toldara expansion available for free download.  There may come a time when I offer a lulu print option in a manner similar to the Basic Fantasy RPG.

On a related note, F also stands for "first week" of the A to Z challenge - I am done posting for it!

 

E is for Expansion Material

E is for Expansion Materials

Expansion materials are part of just about every role-playing game.  The lone product with no additional material produced in support of the original product is the exception.  There are several fan made B/X expansions available on the internet.  I am assembling a document of the expansion material from these posts detailing my Toldara campaign.  I will make it available for download a short time after the completion of the A to Z challenge of 2013.

There will be several alternate ability score generation methods outlined.  Some of them will be familiar while others will be different.

I have several human classes and demi-human classes that will expand the options available to players; some will be specific to the world of Toldara while others will be more generic in nature.

 

I am working on some rules for familiars for the Witch class.

 

I have an idea brewing for some advanced classes that are upgrades to he regular classes.  They would basically be similar in concept to prestige classes but each one would only be available to a certain class.  For instance, a fighter could become a knight at later levels.

 

Of course, there will be world information on Toldara that will include a brief overview, map, deities, history, etc.

 

This is all a work in progress and who knows how some of this stuff will develop? 

 

D is for Details

D is for Details

Your character is made by following the steps of the character creation process.  This process will provide you with the bare essentials of your character and that is perfectly fine for the type of players that like to develop their character through game play.  There are players that like to use a different approach – they prefer to have a little more detail before play begins.  For those players that desire more information the following topics are provided for inspiration.

The Five F’s

1. From?

       ·         Where are you from?

       ·         Size of this place? (village, city, town, metropolis, etc.)

       ·         Any particular mannerisms, customs, dress, traditions, accent?

       ·         What did you do prior to becoming an adventurer?

·         What is your motivation? (Personal, professional, hereditary, revenge, etc.)

 

·         Are you still “welcome” in your home area?

2. Family?

·         Are your parents living? (If not, what happened?)

 

·         What is your relationship with your parents?

 

·         Are you an only child or do you have siblings?

 

·         What is your relationship with your siblings?

 

·         Are your siblings still alive? (If not, what happened?)

 

·         What is your position in the family? (eldest, youngest, rebel, loner, etc.)

 

·         What is the social class of you and your family? (lower class, middle class, upper class.)

 

·         Have you started your own family?

 

·         Do you have any children?

 

·         What is the current status of your relationship with your spouse?

3. Faith?

·         Are you religious?

 

·         Which God(s) do you follow and revere?

 

·         How does your faith influence your actions?

 

·         How often do you participate? (Pray, attend temple services, etc.)

4. Friends?

·         Who are your friends?

 

·         Are they recent acquaintances or did you grow up with them?

 

·         Who is your best friend?

 

·         How loyal are these friendships?

 

·         Were any of the other player characters your friend before adventuring together?

5. Foes?

·         Have you made any enemies in life?

 

·         If so, how did it happen?

The topics listed above are in no way considered complete or exhaustive.  When we originally started working on the Toldara campaign world we wanted to include a section similar to this so we lifted it from another game.  We did not bother coming up with something original at the time because it was just for personal use.  Now that I am posting Toldara stuff to my blog I thought it would be more appropriate to come up with something original.

 

 

C is for Classes

C is for Classes

A character's class in D&D represents a basic outline of their background, skills, and adventuring profession.  Players have been adding new classes since the early days of gaming.  There are multiple classes that have been printed in Dragon and other magazines.  When we originally developed Toldara for 3E there were several classes we wanted to add to the standard list.  

 

Assassin: I know there was a magic-using prestige class in 3E but I wanted a standard class like AD&D.  I never got around to getting this one done.  I did download a few Assassins from other players and some were very cool. 

 

Battle Mage: A combination of fighter and wizard that could enchant his own weapons and those of his allies. 

 

Elementalist: A character that harnesses the powers of the elements.

 

Priest: The Cleric represents the armor clad divine caster so why not have a robe wearing divine caster that performs miracles, cast spells, and can bless or curse people?

 

Witch: There has been a ton of Witch classes over the years.  We wanted something that represented the fantasy vision of a witch.  Someone that could put hexes on their enemies and had a familiar; only a limited list like cat, bat, and rat.  Play up the fantasy stereotype.

 

I believe only two of these were every fully detailed by one of us.  The other three saw various stages of detail but were never completed.  We continued to work on them with D&D 3.5E but mostly abandoned them when we got the Pathfinder Core Rulebook and the Advanced Players Guide.  My initial thoughts on converting any missing classes to B/X are detailed below.

 

Human Classes

 

Assassin: Look to the Blackmoor Supplement for inspiration.

 

Barbarian: Base it off the fighter but give them the ability to rage and more XP required to advance.

 

Bard: Not sure if I want to include this or not.  I think it may be worth looking into.

 

Monk or Mystic: It has been around since the early days.  I am thinking that it might better fit as a more western style monk.

 

Priest: Not sure what to do with this one. 

 

Witch: I think it will be much easier to do for B/X.  I am thinking of a spell caster with a familiar that is a bat, cat, or rat.  Each familiar would map to one of the three alignments.

 

 

Demi Human Classes



 

Anshu: Feline humanoids.

 

Gnome: I have never really used them so I do not know what to do with them.

 

Half-Elf: I probably need to do up a half-elf class because several players have used them.

 

Half-Orc: Human and Orc hybrid with a social stigma and some of the Barbarian abilities.

 

Karnin: Canine humanoids.

 

Oranian: A winged bird-like race from the Oran Mountains.

 

Slarn: Lizard Men.

 

That should cover all of the bases and give plenty of extra and custom options for the world of Toldara.  I am not even worried about a Psionic class or the chance of some sort of Psionic ability for characters so I am not even going to bother putting it on the list.

 

B is for Back to the Basics

B is for Back to the Basics

When I say "basics" I am referring to Basic Dungeons & Dragons but, more specifically, I am referring to the B/X iteration of the D&D rules and why I chose to convert my campaign - Toldara - to this older version. 

 

The campaign world of Toldara was originally conceived soon after I purchased the core 3E books after a 10 year absence from the hobby.  My cousin Alex and I began work on this campaign world and started coming up with all sorts of additions and customizations we wanted to make.  We would eventually upgrade to the 3.5E version of the rules a few years later. 

 

I was a little excited by the fact that 4E would include the option of Dragonborn player characters because we had a lizard man race for Toldara.  That did not go as well as we had hoped but then Pathfinder came along and it solved our issues.  We could just upgrade to that set of rules much like the jump we made from 3E to 3.5E.  In fact, we did just that and have been happy ever since.

 

What led to the decision to switch the campaign over to B/X D&D?  Well, the entire campaign is not getting switched.  Alex is taking full control of the reigns for the Pathfinder game while I decided to convert all of the information over to B/X D&D for several reasons.

 

B/X D&D is my own personal favorite iteration of the rules.  All you have to do is look at the cover

  to see that this is a game of fantasy adventure with warriors, mages, and fearsome dragons to battle.  None of the other covers has caught my attention like this one.  The artwork inside the book further captures my imagination.  Even the choice of something simple like the font used in the rules reinforces the tone and feel of the game.  B/X is still the version of the game that I have gotten the most use out of in play time and enjoyment. 

 

Another thing that drew me back to the B/X rules is that there are less of them.  Nothing against 3E or Pathfinder - or anything other "modern" set of rules - but I like the fact that there are less rules to manage.  That means that there is less preparation time and more play time.  I am 40 years old with 2 young children so gaming time is pretty sparse these days.  I would rather play than argue over the rules or spend gaming time trying to look up rules in the manuals.  As much as I enjoy the newer rules sets, there have been several times that play has been halted for several minutes to look something up and then maybe cross reference a few other areas to double check.  B/X is a lot more free wheeling in nature and does not try to have a rule for everything.

 

Those are the main two reasons that I am using the B/X rules to power my next campaign.  It should be interesting to get everything up and running in this older system.  There are many similarities between the systems but there are also some big differences.  I think the differences will prove the most interesting.