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.

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.

 

[Toldara] House Rules - Character Generation

After a long absence of too many years, I returned to role playing games with the release of D&D 3E.  One of the first things I did was start work on a campaign world, Toldara, for my own games.  With the release of 3.5, the rules bits of the setting had to be adjusted in a few areas.  Eventually, Pathfinder came out and I found myself tinkering with another 3.X iteration of the game.   

I enjoy playing the 3.X/Pathfinder versions of the game but I want less book keeping and rules referencing the older I get.  I have fiddled around with a few of the other games to see what they have to offer.  I like the idea of Microlite20 but I do want just a little more crunch than that; it is a great game regardless.  C&C may be "just right" but I need to purchase my own copy of the rules to make sure.  I have been looking at the retroclones to see which one catches my eye.  Of course, which ever game I decided on will include house rules and this is what I have decided on so far.   

Rules System

The Toldara campaign will be powered by the Basic Fantasy rules.  Following the link will take you to the downloads page that contains rules, supplements, adventures, and more.

Ability Score Generation

The generation of ability scores is done by rolling 9D6 and then splitting them up into sets of 3D6.  The three scores generated are then assigned to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution.  Another 9D6 is rolled and then split up among Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma using the previous method.  After all of the scores are generated the racial modifiers are applied to the scores.  The rolls must be used on the abilities rolled for and can not be switched between groups.

Hit Points

All beginning first-level characters begin play with the maximum available hit points according to the appropriate hit die for the class and any modifiers gained from the Constitution score.

Races

All of the core Basic Fantasy races will be available for play plus the addition of the following:

• The Gnome, Goblin, Half-Elf, Half-Orc (with appropriate changes), and Lizard Man (Slarn on Toldara) from the supplements on the download page. 
• The Anshu, Karnin, and Oranian races will need to be converted to the Basic Fantasy standard.

Classes

All of the core Basic Fantasy classes will be available for play plus the addition of the following:

• The Assassin, Barbarian, Druid, Illusionist, Necromancer, Paladin, Ranger, Scout, and Sorcerer classes.

Of course, this is all a work in progress.  As play progresses, things may change further.