ncg@ukc.UUCP (N.C.Gale) (03/08/85)
This article I sent to ukc!qtlon!flame!ubu!snow!req as a reply
to a letter via mail. It took so much time & love, that I also
posted it to myself so that I could give the rest of you the
benefit of my dangerous psychological condition.
My apologies to <...!snow!req>, who will have read this before.
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FRP system under surgery: AD&D
Campaign: 'Demondance', named after the arch-villain of the Campaign
(ie Sauron/Morgan le Fay/the Warlock Lord etc)
The play is based in (post-) Arthurian Britain, and largely oriented
towards knightly deeds and chivalrous conduct.
Additional Rules:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Because most of my monsters and NPCs were directed at 3/4th level
characters, I found it necessary to give 1st level players a number
of 'IRF's. IRF stands for Instance of Remarkable Fortune, and it is
effectively the number of times the player can survive certain death.
(Just as the ogre is about to slit your throat, he has a cardiac arrest,
remove an IRF). The actual number varies between 1 and 7, depending
on starting Social position.
2. To provide an incentive for my players to go out and do knightly
deeds, I introduced an En Garde-like Social Level System. Every time
a player is exceptionally brave, or when he does something socially
constructive, he is awarded a 'Mark of Honour', and each time he
gets one of these, there is an increasing chance of his going up
a social level. (SL 8 = knighthood)
Changed Rules:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. The combat system is changed, to orient towards non-fatal jousting.
Each weapon is included on a table, giving its 'to hit' and damage
bonuses, and its chance of doing a critical hit. (sharp weapons are
less likely to hit, but do more damage, and are more likely to score
a critical). Missile weapons have been down-graded (unknightly).
When a character is reduced below zero, he gets Serious Damage, which
varies from a Flesh Wound (which opens again if the player does anything
strenuous within the week) to being cut in half.
Fall damage and Fire damage are done by instant critical hits and/or
serious damage.
Armour reduces damage, not hit chance. Plate armour and metal weapons
are extremely expensive, as are warhorses. Commoners may not wear
plate armour or ride a warhorse.
4. The magic system is changed. There are three types of magic:
Contractual Demonism (MU), Geomancy (Druid) and Theomancy (Cleric).
Druidry is almost unchanged, but Theomancy is Christianity-based,
and Demonism is Demonism-based. Metals and magnets foul magic,
no MU, Cleric or Druid may wear metal armour or use metal weapons,
spells vs persons in metal armour (ie Knights) have reduced effects.
As soon as a Cleric does a non-good act, he is no longer a cleric,
or (for less serious crimes) must do penance to restore his powers.
MUs learn spells by dangerous rituals,which can be made less dangerous
by certain precautions, but they always risk possession, death,
permanent difigurement, unfavouarble contracts etc.
To make up for this bias, they do not have to specify which spells
they are taking every day, they just cast whichever one they want.
A lower level spell may be cast instaed of a higher level one
(eg Magic Missile instead of a 2nd level spell).
5. There are six character classes: Paladin, MU, F, Th, C, D.
Thieves, MUs, and Druids may not be Lawful. Clerics and Paladins
must be good. Druids may not be Chaotic. Fighters get social
advantages. Thieves also have some of the ranger/poaching abilities.
Any character may take up any character class at any time, with
the above alignment restrictions, and with some characteristic
restrictions. Most non-fighters have a couple of levels of
fighter, because no other character class gets hit points for
levels above one.
6. Advaentures only rarely take place in dungeons (only one has).
Instead, the party visits misterious castles and perilous forests.
7. All the monsters are non-standard & modified to the magic and
combat systems. Many heraldic beasts are used. High-level Undead
do not reduce levels, but Hit Points and various characteroistics.
8. All dice rolls are now done with 6-sided dice, usually two
dice multiplied. 6X6 = critical hit, 1X1 = fumble, etc.
9.The battle combat is also changed, to account for the vast supiority
of persons in armour over commoners who aren't allowed it, and
couldn't afford it even if they were. An army has a moral percentage,
which is gradually whittled away during the battle. The worse the
moral percentage, the less able to fight, the more moral lost.
When the moral reaches zero, the army runs away. (isolated units may
be broken before that, or not break when the rest of the army does,
according to circumstances, and leader)
Not much like D&D, really, come to think of it.
-Nigel Gale
P.S. I'm sure there are other changes I've made, but with so many,
it's easy to miss a few out.ncg@ukc.UUCP (N.C.Gale) (03/09/85)
Oops. Speling. For "moral" read "morale". For "misterious" read "mysterious". I typed it late at night, so mistyping abounds. Sorry. -Nigel Gale
tim@cmu-cs-k.ARPA (Tim Maroney) (03/12/85)
While not commenting on the other changes made, I would like to point out that the word "geomancy" is being used incorrectly. Geomancy is a form of divination in which one uses a sand tray (or pen and paper) as a binary randomizing device to arrive at a quasi-astrological figure. This figure is then interpreted in traditional ways. While geomancy certainly could be introduced into AD&D, what druids do is definitely not geomancy. -=- Tim Maroney, Carnegie-Mellon University, Networking ARPA: Tim.Maroney@CMU-CS-K uucp: seismo!cmu-cs-k!tim CompuServe: 74176,1360 audio: shout "Hey, Tim!"