[Perilous Journeys RPG] The Minotaur, Take One

The following monster entry is my first attempt at presenting the Minotaur using the Perilous Journeys RPG game stats.

Minotaur

H: 60-70  A: 36–45  S: 40  AF: 6
Attack: weapon +4/1d8/1d6

Encountered: 1-4

Description: Minotaurs appear to be large humanoid creatures with the head of a bull.  They are typically around 7 feet tall with a thick, rugged build.  Rumors speak of Minotaurs living on a diet consisting of humans and other smaller humanoid races.  Minotaurs are somewhat intelligent and may use tools and weapons.

Comat: Minotaurs tend to charge their opponents in an attempt to gore them for 1d8 damage; when closed to grappling distance a Minotaur may bite for 1d6 damage.  Some Minotaurs prefer to use weapons such as spears, clubs, or axes and get a +4 bonus to damage when doing so.  Minotaurs tend to attack things smaller than their size.  Minotaurs may be wearing a ragtag mix of garments for armor in addition to their tough hide and have an effective armor factor of 6 points.

Treasure: C

A Little Reorganization & Some Thoughts

I have been pretty satisfied with the posting so far in this new year.  I aim to keep the momentum going and add much more content in the upcoming weeks and months.  Here are a few highlights of the reorganization I have done around here and some thoughts about what I need to do from here on out.

It is almost time to revise the About Me tab again.  The final paragraph could use a little bit of updating but I will probably hold off for a few weeks to see if more changes take place.

The Collected Posts tab at the top of the page is gone.  It had grown bloated and messy so I split up the contents.  There is now a separate tab for Adventures in Fantasy and Perilous Journeys instead; of course, the contents of those tabs correspond to their respective labels.  The other information that was previously contained in the tab is still available on the blog but I just took this opportunity to clean up some of the clutter.  

The Adventures in Fantasy tab will see some expansion with posts covering the AiF Restatement project.

The read through of Perilous Journeys is complete but that is not all I have planned for the game.  Expect posts covering new resources such as magic items, new flaws, new edges, and other resources.    

I have added links to two posts focused on religion under the Toldara tab. The other posts covering religion will be added upon completion.  My goal is to offer something more than "there's a religion that people can join" by giving some actual details.  I fully expect a lot more information to be added to this tab over the next year.  There should be plenty of details on a Swords & Wizardry adaptation to come.  

The Projects & Downloads tab has several things listed that I need to get completed.  In no particular order, the SteamCraft character creation reference and the MicroToldara rules are the two I am aiming to complete first.

That is a pretty good summary of what has taken place so far and what is coming up.  The only other additions I can see that I need to mention are that I am going to start posting Steampunk Saturdays at some point and the Robotech Posts are probably going to start with the extras DVDs. 

It is time to wrap this up and get back to reading posts by all of you...

    

A Peak at Perilous Journeys 7

This will be my last post covering the contents of the Perilous Journeys rule book; now I can concentrate on providing resources for the game.  I have discussed the sections covering character creation, professions, guilds, terminology, and other topics in previous posts.  That leaves only four sections that I have not covered: Gameplay, Appendix A: Advanced Combat, Appendix B: Creating and Modifying Professions, and Appendix D: Monster List. 

The Gameplay section covers all of the rules that basically tie everything else together.  Some of the topics include what the numbers mean, combat, movement, experience points and application, carrying capacity, encumbrance, and saving throws.  These sections are written just as clearly as the rest of the rules so everything can be easily implemented in play.  Also included in this section are optional rules such as Fate Points and Reputation.

Appendix A: Advanced Combat, similar to the guild rules, is a short section that has a larger impact than its size.  The simplest way to explain this section is that if you use it in your game then the warrior type characters will have something more to do than just swing an axe, sword, etc. every round of combat.  The rules describe a simple system of special moves that can be learned and used in combat.  Of course, the more skilled your character is in combat the more moves they can learn; any character can learn them, though.  It just makes sense for the warrior types to be more capable in this area.  The use of these special moves is regulated by an Endurance Pool.  An example of a special ability is presented below.

Disarm          Endurance: 6

The PC is able to attack a target is such a way as to cause the target to drop his weapon.  The target is allowed a save vs. Speed to avoid dropping the weapon.

The Advanced Combat section ends with a section covering Advanced Magic.  Rules are presented in this part to explain spellweaving and spell weaving.  Spell Weaving is producing an effect by mixing two or more spells together.  Spell Failure in Perilous Journeys could mean one of two things; the spell could fizzle out with the caster still using the Mana or an additional effect like double Mana loss, loss of memory, the spell’s effect is reverse, or more.

Appendix B: Creating and Modifying Professions discusses some guidelines for when a player desires to play a character type not covered in the rules.  The gist of this section is that it makes more sense to modify an existing part of the game to accommodate the player rather than making unnecessary additions.  That really makes a lot of sense if you think about it.  In essence, what is the difference between a Paladin and a Cavalier, a Thief and a Bandit, or any other similar professions?  If it can be simulated by swapping out one or two abilities then it should be, right?  I like this approach and I wish that some of the older games would take a similar approach instead of just adding an endless barrage or new material. That does not mean the rules disallow creating completely new professions at all.  The rules simply encourage that you ensure any new additions are truly unique and can not be handled by simply swapping a single ability or two.

The final section I have not covered, Appendix D: Monster List, provides statistics for 43 monsters; that number is deceptively small because several of the monsters have multiple sub-entries to illustrate the difference between common variety, leader, etc.  The entry on Dragonkind alone provides enough information for 45 different types when you take into account size, color (for Drakes), and element (for Dragons).  In addition to the Dragonkind category there are also categories for Humanoids (covering PC races, goblins, orcs, etc.), Spirits and Undead (covering ghouls, lich, skeleton, etc.), Netherbeings (covering demons, devils, oni, etc.), Large Monsters (covering ogres, giants, and trolls), and Insects and Animals (covering bear, snakes, tiger, etc.).  The entries typically cover the attributes, description, number encountered, combat, and treasure.  The only omissions I could see in the monster entries are monsters from classical myth such as centaurs, Minotaur, hydra, medusa, etc.  On the other hand, it is kind of refreshing not to see the same old monsters fleshed out for yet again fantasy game and I believe the Minotaur and medusa are both unique anyway.  The best way to deal with those two monsters might be in an adventure that showcases them and their background as part of the story.

Final Thoughts

I should have completed this read through of the Perilous Journeys rules a long time ago but I got side tracked.  I am glad that I picked it back up and continued on because I continue to be impressed by the rules.  They are easy to understand and put to use.  The rules accomplish the same things that many other games do but they accomplish it in far less pages and that is a good thing.  I hate giving a numerical rating to anything like this and this is not a review but I would definitely rate it as an “A” effort.  There is a lot to like in this slim volume and I look forward to seeing what comes about in the second edition.  I was given a sneak preview of some of the stuff and all I am going to say is that it looks like it just keeps getting better.  If you are interested in a new set of fantasy rules I highly recommend picking up Perilous Journeys.  

Perilous Journeys: Ideas On New Magic Items

With the recent posting I have done about the Perilous Journeys Fantasy Role-Playing Game I have had a few ideas here and there for some personal additions to the game.  These are far from complete but I wanted to post them up to preserve the ideas.  The main point is to get the idea down so I can use it later.  

Blanket of Rejuvenation          VII

When a character uses this blanket for rest then Health is recovered at 30% of its normal rating per day assuming a full 8 hours of rest in a safe location.  If not, then health is restored at a rate of 10% per four hours of rest with 4 being the minimum required for health restoration.

Boots of Water Walking          VI

The wearer is able to walk on water for a short distance or a short period of time.  Probably limited uses per day.

Cloak of Invisibility          ?

When the wearer draws the hood over their head and gives the command word, they will turn invisible for a limited amount of time.  Limit the number of uses per day.  Maybe throw in adding to thievery, stealth, or something similar.

Dust of Sleep          V

When the user sprinkles this or blows it in the victim's face, the victim will go to sleep for 2 rounds.  Limit the amount of doses in a bag.

Key of Entrance          VIII or IX?

This is a normal looking key that will actually open up any mundane lock that it is used for.  Upon insertion, the key must lay still so it can adjust to the lock.  The simpler the lock, the faster it is to open.  More complex locks will require more time.

Spectacles of Comprehension          VII

Using this normal looking set of eyeglasses will allow the reader to read any writing they come across in their own language.  Put a time limit and a daily usage on it.

As I previously mentioned, this is all a work in progress and is not complete yet.  More later...

  

A Peek at Perilous Journeys 6

With this post I turn my attention to all things magical - spell descriptions and magic items, specifically - in the Perilous Journeys Fantasy RPG rules.  Keep in mind that this series of posts are basically just a summary of what I have read followed by my thoughts and impressions.  This is not a typical review but scattered thoughts.

The spell descriptions are the largest single section of the rules with 33 pages of content; that equates to 26% of the complete rules.  The magic system presented in Perilous Journeys is a skill-based system based on having the ability (learned skill) and how competent your character is in that ability.  The higher the competency the more spells your character can know and cast.  Your character does not fire and forget spells, either.  The spells are powered by a Mana Pool that is directly tied to the Mind attribute. The cost to use a spell is tied to the power level of the spell and the casting time.  The power levels are I - X (with I being the lowest), the casting time can be somewhere between instant or 4 rounds, and the associated mana cost will be 2 for the low power spells and up to 16 for the high power spells.  As an example of spells found in Perilous Journeys, here is Time Stop, a power level V spell from the Enchantment school:

Time Stop     V

The time in the local area of effect is halted for 2 rounds.  It does not affect caster who can about with impunity.  The caster can manipulate objects, but their effect won't happen until time begins again, e.g. a box can be placed above a targets head, but it won't fall until time starts again.

The spells are grouped under seven categories that correspond to the professions and guilds. Dimensionology is magic that deals with parallel dimensions, alternate dimension, and time. Elementalism is magic dealing with the four elements of air, earth, fire, and water; there are rumors of a fifth element. Enchantment is a form of arcane magic that draws power from the void.  Necromancy is arcane magic dealing with the dead and spirits.  Shamanism is a form of divine magic calling on nature gods and spirits. 

Sorcery is magic using the power of Hell Dimensions and is connected to summoning demons, devils, and fiends.  Theurgy is divine magic used in rituals to invoke gods to action.  The spells are listed alphabetical in each school by power level order.  The descriptions are done in alphabetical order.  I think it works out just fine being done that way because the number of spells is a manageable size instead of hundreds of them all lumped together.

Just a quick aside her to note that the spell descriptions are just that.  There are some magic related rules in the next section of the rules, titled gameplay, and it makes perfect sense to have the information in that spot.  The rules and guidelines in the gameplay section related to magic include modifiers to magic use, spell books, spellcasting in combat, and mana recovery.  By placing this information in the gameplay section the reader will have all of the appropriate information together instead of flipping back and forth for melee rules or magic rules or both.

The second part of this post is about the magic items in the Perilous Journeys rules.  These rules take up seven pages of content; that equates to 5.5% of the rules alone or 32% of the rules when they are grouped with the spell descriptions.  Magic has a big part in the game because the descriptions of spells and items alone sits at just under one-third of the information in the book.

The section on magic items begins with a sample list of items available in the game.  Similar to spells, each item is rated on a scale of I - X.  I find it interesting to note that it is mentioned the items go up to XII power in theory but none are listed. There is no doubt that the items above grade X are only the most powerful of artifacts.  There are 78 sample items listed among five categories such as staves and wands, armor, weapons, and miscellaneous.  Although lower in quantity than the number of magic items in games such as D&D, the items show a wide diversity and weak to powerful and serve as easy to model examples for adding items to the list.  An example of a magic item description is presented below.

Hat of the Ranger     VI

This hat grants Ranging Ability at 20, or adds 20 to Ranging if already possessed.  In addition, the wearer has a 90% chance of knowing what direction he is facing at all times.  He can pass through wooded areas without leaving a trace at 90% effectiveness.

There is enough information there to be  useful but the rules do not try to define every circumstance or situation related to the item.  It should be pretty easy to add items to the list.  The only thing I noticed that some might consider an omission is the lack of cursed items. Honestly, it is unnecessary to have a standard list of those items.  It should be easy enough for the GM to use the magic items as a reference and come up with unique cursed items.     

     

A Peek at Perilous Journeys 5

This post is really late!  I am continuing from my last post covering the Professions in the Perilous Journeys rules from January 4, 2012; I guess I really went off track at that time!  As would happen several times throughout 2014, I got sidetracked onto other things and did not get back to it.  I am making this return to Perilous Journeys the first blog post I publish in 2015.  I regret not getting to this sooner because it really is an all around well designed game.  It covers many things in other games but does it with a much lower page count.  For example, the Guilds section of the rules only take up five pages – that is just under 4% of the rule book page count - but they have just as much and even more to offer as similar rules sections in other games.  Personally, if I would have designed this game the section on guilds would be one of the sections I would be most proud of the final results.    

The professional associations and unions of Medieval Europe inspired the guild rules of Perilous Journeys.  The actual historical guilds were devoted to crafts such as masonry or carpentry.  These craftsmen banded together to provide aid to members and protect their craft.   In contrast, the guilds in Perilous Journeys represent associations of skilled adventurers that provide benefits to their members; namely, aid and training.

There is usually only one guild of each type per location because the guilds typically do not like competition in their area.  Guilds will take action to ensure their monopoly.  Some of these actions are legal and some are illegal.  There are exceptions to the Guilds strongly protecting their monopoly.  For instance, in large cities there are often several types of fighter guilds.

There are 13 guilds corresponding to the 13 professions in the Perilous Journeys rules.  The term “guild” is actually a generic label and will not be used for every profession.  For example, clerics will belong to religions, cavaliers would probably be part of a chivalric order, enchanters might be in orders, and guilds of other professions could be labeled differently as well.  The important thing to remember is that membership in any of these organizations is covered under the guild rules.  All guilds will conduct their organizational business in a guild hall.  Of course, other labels will be appropriate according to profession; for example, cavaliers will likely meet in keeps, clerics might gather in monasteries or temples, bandits meet in camps, and shamans could meet in circles or groves.

Characters have two options when they join a guild.  First, the character can join during the character creation process by simply spending design points.  There is no quest or monetary requirements for joining in this manner; it is assumed to happen prior to play.  Second, the character can join at a later time by fulfilling any quest requirements and paying any monetary dues associated with being granted the rank they are qualified for in the guild.

Advancing in the guilds is measured by competency in the required abilities (skills).  These abilities are the same as the abilities for the professions; one ability is the primary ability while the others act as supporting abilities.  There are three ranks for each guild and they are apprentice, journeyman, and master.  Each one of these ranks has three levels attached to them.  Advancing through the levels requires spending money and experience points.  There are benefits associated with each level advancement such as gaining a point in each required ability, upgrading armor, add 2 points to a core attribute, etc. These benefits are listed in a master table that must be consulted for level gains.  While all guilds use the same table, it is customized for each guild and there is enough variety that you will not be building the same character time and time again.  Training is also available to non-guild members but it will be more expensive and more restrictive in what will be taught.  It may seem that guild membership is taken for granted with these benefits but characters that are not in a guild are free to advance in and focus on the abilities of their own choosing.

That is a quick summary of the guild system used in the Perilous Journeys game rules.  I think they are one of the best set of rules for these types of in-game organizations because they are short (5 pages), elegant in execution, and really are all you need.  In other words, you are not required to search through a never ending chain of supplements trying to find the perfect prestige class, advanced class, kit, etc.  All of the rules you need for guilds are in the core rules themselves.  I correspond with the author, Jamie Hardy, on a pretty regular basis and I have been privileged enough to be given a sneak peak of the second edition draft of some of the Perilous Journeys rules sections.  There are changes in many areas but I have not been given the guilds section yet.  I hope that section is just expanded with examples of official campaign world specific groups instead of being altered in a mechanical way because they are near perfect in their present form.


***Future posts in this series of Perilous Journeys related posts will include Spells, Game Play, Advanced Combat, Creating Professions, Magic Items, and Monsters.***

[Toldara Tuesday] Further Thoughts on Game Systems

I am using one more post to gather my thoughts on the various game systems I am using to play-test Toldara material. In the next post I will start presenting statistics, write ups, and information for the races in these various systems. I am not sure if I will dedicate each post to looking at a single race in all of the game systems - may split that into two posts if it is large enough - or devote each post to just a single game system with all of the Toldara races.  

Back to the Dungeon! RPG

For anyone that does not know, Back to the Dungeon! RPG is a neo-clone game that is based on familiar terms and concepts but introduces alterations and additions to the game system instead of trying to faithfully emulate a certain rules set from the past of the hobby.  This version is the most complete and up to date next to the MicroLite 20 version.  The main parts that are missing include the basic world information along with a race and class or two; some copying and pasting will fix most of the other information that needs updating.

Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG

My original concept of Toldara actually lines up quite well with the feel and tone of the typical DCC RPG experience.  Toldara was always pictured as fantasy with a little bit of gonzo mixed in.  I have tinkered around with this rules set a little bit but I have very little practical experience using it.  I am highly intrigued by the possibilities and will at least give it an honest shot.  I may have to consult some people with much more experience with the system to assist me in completing the information.
  

Halberd Fantasy Role Playing

This is another rules-lite entry on the list.  I do not have a lot of experience with systems such as this but I am highly interested in applying the fast and loose nature of the game to Toldara.  The older I get, the more I am interested in playing than arguing about the rules so Halberd looks pretty great to me.  The write ups used in this game are easy and simple to use so it should progress pretty quickly in initial development.

MicroLite 20

This will probably be the first handbook released for the Toldara campaign for no other reason than it is the most complete.

I am really considering doing a dual-stat version with another OGL-based system. Maybe a triple-stat presentation could even work if it was done properly.  I will have to double check but I think all of them have no restrictions against using their game statistics with other game statistics statistics in the same product.  It should be relatively easy to present each new race or class with all three sets of statistics on just one page.  I will be investigating this further...    

Perilous Journeys

This version of the campaign material write up will be somewhat more challenging than the others.  Unlike the OGL-based systems, Perilous Journeys is a skill-based percentile system without classes/levels and the list of player character races is quite a bit different from the traditional fantasy offerings; I would also have to look at the races that are not available in Toldara and decide what to do about them.  It will be more work but it will be worth it to see how things convert over.

Swords & Wizardry: Complete
I started the list with an OGL-based game and I am ending the list with an OGL-based game.  Even though I have the B/X rules I really dig the Swords & Wizardry: Complete rules because it feels like a match for the complexity level of the mixed together D&D/AD&D rules we used in our youth in my old gaming group. Using these rules would also allow easier implementation of a dual-stat or triple-stat handbook.

Look for some game statistics and write ups in the next installment.  I am also going to experiment around with the dual or triple-stat format and see how it looks.  More later... 

[Toldara Tuesday] A Fresh Start

This is the first post for the Toldara Tuesday feature I am adding to this blog.  I think you will find the concept easy to follow.  Any post with the "Toldara Tuesday" label will be connected to my home campaign world of Toldara in some way or another.  It could be presenting one of the new character races or monsters in a different rules system, a map related to a specific region, details on some part of the culture, or anything from a host of other options.  I had originally intended the first Toldara Tuesday post to feature some sort of rules information but I decided to start at the beginning.  I am simply going to state my ideas and goals moving forward with this post and then delve into the actual game design or modification beginning with the next post.  

I have been tinkering with the details of my campaign world, Toldara, for several years now.  Things have come and gone with each new update.  I am currently between groups - and I have been for some time - but I think now is the perfect time to do a reboot on the world.  The first thing I am going to do is let Alex handle the Pathfinder version.  He has much more experience with that system than I do.  I still think Pathfinder is great but he has a much better handle on the system.  I am going to focus my efforts toward assembling several less rules heavy versions of the player material.  I believe that three versions of the information will be the best way to go.  I will most likely use U.S.R. for a really quick set up.  I am currently working on a conversion to the Perilous Journeys skill based percentile system and a Back to the Dungeon version.  With just a little effort the MicroLite version could be complete.  Do not be surprised if a Dungeon Crawl Classics or a Swords & Wizardry: Complete version pops up also.  I will discover the two or three systems I prefer to represent Toldara by Tinkering with them.

I have gotten some feedback on my map and will be making some changes.  I will also be using some of the resources pointed out on ars phantasia in various posts.  My plan is simple with all of this.  I am going to keep what I like from the previous version and update everything else to better fit my concept of the campaign world.  It will still be based on my old campaigns with new stuff thrown in also.  All I have to do is find a group to help test out the stuff.  More later....         

Thoughts on Dual-Stats?

Here is another post to break up the monotony of the D&D 40th Anniversary Blog Hop Challenge posts.  

Looking over my collection of role-playing products I noticed that I have a few among them that are dual-statted for two different rule systems.  That got me to thinking about the projects that I am currently developing.  I started thinking that maybe dual-statting some of these projects might make them more useful to people that download them.  This is all hypothetical at this point and I am not worried about discussing any legal or cost ramifications at this point.  So, for anyone that has ever purchased OR created a dual-stat product, I have a few questions:

What is your overall impression of dual-stat products? In other words, do you dig them?  Do you like the opportunity to get an impression of another game system?  Do you hate the idea?  Either way, I want to know.

  

For those that like dual-stat products, how do you prefer the information presented? Do you like the systems on opposing pages? Do you prefer the information presented in separate chapters, an appendix for the alternate system, or some other method?

I am just curious at this point and would like to get a feel for this kind of thing.  Any and all answers will be appreciated!
 

Status of Projects

I am going to break up some of the monotony of this D&D 40th Anniversary Blog Hop Challenge during the month of February by inserting posts every few days, or whenever the mood hits, so readers will have something else to read.  This is the first of such posts.  I could have re-worked some of them into combined posts but I already have them queued up.

I have several projects that I am working on at any given time; some come to the forefront while others fade into the background at different points.  Unlike school, I do not like forcing myself to focus on only one thing.  On my personal projects it helps me to have several going at one time so I can switch gears and refresh.  In no particular order, here are the projects I am working and the current status of each one.

Adventures in Fantasy

I have produced two characters sheets for this old game and I have received some feedback.  I am definitely going to add a block for a Defense rating on the sheet.  I am also working on a Dragon Record Sheet and a Dragon Hoard Sheet.  These may remain separate or be combined.  I am unsure so far.

Back to the Dungeon! RPG

Of course, this is the neo-clone that was primarily designed by Eldrad Wolfsbane from the Back to the Dungeon! blog.  I have provided feedback and helped with some of the design and layout in some versions of the game.  Now, we are discussing ideas for a science fiction game based off of the BttD engine with appropriate modifications.  I am brainstorming ideas on a post-apocalyptic rendition and a zombie apocalypse game as well.  I also have a little solo side project that involves converting my Toldara campaign over to the BttD RPG rules system.

Escape from Camp Blood

I was pretty excited about this because I had never designed a board game.  I began working on it with The Mayfly (Eric Baker) from the Memories of the Mayfly blog.  Although I absolutely love the idea of a board game that plays out an experience similar to the Friday the 13th movies, I have learned one thing real quick - I AM NOT your guy when it comes to board game design.  I thought I could do it with the assistance of Eric but I just do not have the experience or the know how about board games to get it done.  Besides, there is a game, Camp Grizzly, that just had a very successful kickstarter campaign.

Quick note to Eric Baker:  Hey, we gave it our best shot but any shortcomings in getting this project going smoothly should be placed firmly on my shoulders.  Role-playing design and board game design are two different areas and I was not up to par for a board game design.  You provided great feedback, ideas, and links to awesome resources that would surely be of help.  If you want to use the idea then feel free to do so.  Any and all failings are clearly mine and for that I truly apologize.

Perilous Journeys

I have some ideas for new edges and flaws that I am fine-tuning.  I am also in the process of converting the new races over to the Perilous Journeys rules system.  At some point, I will make this available for download from this blog.  Maybe I should dual-stat the campaign document for both PJ & BttD RPG?  Hmm...  

USR

I designed a character sheet that I made available for download.  I also announced a Resident Evil inspired ,USR powered game I was working on that was going to be called Outbreak.  I still have the notes I have been assembling over the months but I also ran into a snag.  I found another game called Outbreak that is already released.  That kind of took the wind out of my sails. I took a step back for a bit and I am reworking some things.  In addition, I wanted to see how USR Cyberpunk handled things before I continued; just to get a feel for further expansion.  I really dig USR but it is different from most anything I have ever played so designing is a little bit of an adjustment for me.  

  

 

  

Perilous Journeys Character Creation Reference

Just a little document I whipped up for Perilous Journeys that collects various bits of character creation information in one spot. The information presented below is also available as a downloadable document at this location here.

Character Creation Reference

Standard Method

Race	Points	Health	Agility	Mind	Speed
Human	185	40-90	20-60	35-60	35-55
Dryad	200	45-90	25-60	45-65	40-55
Dwarf	190	50-95	25-60	35-55	30-50
Elf	200	40-80	35-65	45-65	40-60
Fomorian	185	50-90	30-60	35-55	30-45
Gnome	190	40-90	30-60	35-60	35-50
Lurikeen	200	40-75	40-65	40-65	45-70
Wild Elves	195	40-80	40-70	35-60	40-65

   

Optional Method

Race	Points	Health	Agility	Mind	Speed
Human	160	1d20	1d10	1d10	1d12
Dryad	160	2d12	1d10+4	1d10	1d10+2
Dwarf	160	3d6+6	1d10	1d8	1d8
Elf	160	2d12+2	1d10+4	1d12	2d6
Fomorian	160	3d6+2	2d8	2d6	1d10
Gnome	160	2d8	3d6	2d6	1d12
Lurikeen	160	2d6+2	1d12+2	1d10+4	1d12+2
Wild Elves	160	1d12	2d10+2	1d8	1d6+1

Abilities

Race	Excluded	Restricted
Human	None	None
Dryad	Psionics, Theurgy	Commerce, Games, Marining, Metallurgy, & Streetwise
Dwarf	Chivalry, Psionics	Ranging, Survivalist, & Marining
Elf	None	Commerce, Evaluation, Mechanics, Metallurgy, Planning, & Streetwise
Fomorian	Psionics, Theurgy	Commerce, Necromancy, Scholarship, & Sorcery
Gnome	Chivalry, Psionics	Marining, Minstrelsy, Ranging, Survivalist, & Improvised Fighting
Lurikeen	Chivalry, Psionics	Commerce, Mechanics, Metallurgy, Planning, Pastoral, & Marining
Wild Elves	None	Arcanum, Chivalry, Commerce, Marining, Mechanics, Metallurgy, & Streetwise

FedEx Came By Yesterday...

I had the pdf copy for quite some time but I finally got a printed book!

I am off to do some reading...

A Few Updates Around Here...

The latest happenings around here include:

 

A - Z: It looks like I am still going to do all of the posts about my campaign world.  If things work out correctly all of these posts should be related to the B/X rules and that is a good thing.  I have not flexed my B/X muscles in a while so I'll do my best.  Fingers crossed...

 

SteamCraft: I ordered the SteamCraft rpg and it should be here soon.  I was impressed with the author's ability to turn Lejendary Adventures into a game I could understand with his Perilous Journeys game so I wanted to support his latest product and I really need to break out of the fantasy genre. 

 

Outbreak RPG: Writing is coming along at a decent pace.  I am adjusting the outline and writing as I go so there will be backtracking and rewriting as I continue.  I am digging the USR rules but I must admit that I am not accustomed to such rules light games so I tend to hit a brick wall at times trying to do it "right".  There doesn't need to be rules that cover many things when these rules can easily handle making judgements on the fly.  The biggest change has to be the name.  When I orderd the SteamCraft game earlier, I noticed that there is already a small press zombie type game out there with the title of Outbreak.  No big deal - this is purely an amateur exercise - but I don't want to step on any toes so a new name will be decided on soon.

 

S.T.A.G.E.: That is the Simple Tabletop Adventure Gaming Engine.  I have had an idea for a rules light game for quite some time.  As I mentioned above the rules light type of games are something I do not have much experience with at all.  I can understand the appeal of such games and with the reduced free time as I grow older the quicker playing games appeal much more to me.  I am still working on it from time to time but it is not top priority at the moment.

 

There's what is going on in the gaming realm of my life.