I Cast Light!: house rules

Showing posts with label house rules. Show all posts

YOUR BACKPACK IS A SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: Don't Let Monsters Steal Them

There was a discussion in a Discord forum I inhabited about how realistic the encumbrance of ration is in BX D&D. That doesn't interest me. What interests me is what the PCs chose to do with those rations.

But related interest is what do you do with the pack on your back?

I was a Boy Scout back in the day and the summer before high school, I participated in Philmont. This consisted of doing a roughly 10-day hike over 120 miles with everything I needed in a frame pack on my back. You can't really fight in such a thing. Even a loaded school backpack is going to encumber you or throw you off balance when you are swinging a weapon. But how can this be gamified?

A dungeon delve is a raid not a camping trip.
Let the hirelings carry stuff, you're there to delve...

✤ If you drop your pack or are not carrying one at all, you are limited to 4 encumbrance slots +2 for hands, but you gain a +1 on all d20 rolls.

✤ However, if the PCs dropped packs are marked on the battle map and become a target for monsters. If monsters reach this marker, they destroy or take a random items.

✤ If monsters take an action at this backpack marker, they now own a whole pack of items.

WHAT IS INTERESTING ABOUT BASIC DUNGONEERING: And what is not

Art by the fantastic DiTerlizzi

In reading Marcia's review of her experience with Shadowdark, I contemplated on how I run my own OSE games. This is also fresh on my mind because I am running Miranda Elkins' fantastic Nightwick. Its all about distilling things down to the interesting choice and eliminating the non-interesting one.

Basic Equipment: I am thinking about charging my players a flat rate for all basic dungeoneering equipment that is rolled into weekly expenses-- so 7sp a week for expenses plus ~3-5sp for pick of equipment

Not interesting: Cost of equipment, especially down to coppers
Interesting: Scarcity (what if there is no 50' rope this week?) and how many slots PC dedicates to basic equipment

Light: Due to torch cost and number per slot, it is easy to carry a lot of torches.

Not interesting: Carrying enough light to last 12-24 turns- easily done
Interesting: When torches extinguish-- like in the middle of a fight or when the goblins you are negotiating with get mad; how many hands in the party are occupied by torches

This is why I prefer to use the overloaded encounter die to simulate inopportune moments when a torch is snuffed out- gust of wind, dripping slime, bucket of sand thrown by a sneaky goblin. And with regards to hands, holding a torch potentially lowers AC, removes a weapon, or makes spell casting delayed (need both hands). One saving grace: torches are an improvised weapon that do 1d4 dmg and are on fire.

Stuck Doors: I now commonly interpret the 2-in-6 chance as a basic surprise roll. If they players fail it, they make a loud noise and alert anything on the other side of the door, but open it next round.

Not interesting: Rolling a d6 over and over again to see if PCs finally break down a door
Interesting: Seeing if PC get surprise on whatever is on the otherside; if additional equipment is brought to deal with doors

I usually like the idea that a crowbar allows and additional 1d6 rolled per individual with one.

Rations: This is similar to the situation with light, its easy to carry enough food/water for 2-4 hours which is more likely the time frame of a dungeon delve-- not a camping trip.

Not interesting: Tracking both food and water separately for nominal circumstances
Interesting: How many PCs carry rations; will rations be used for other things (like distracting monsters) or saved to avoid fatigue

For me the nature of rations are both food and water abstracted. So if a player want to use food as a distraction, mark off 1 rations. If a player wants to douse a small fire, use 2 rations as you frantically empty out a water skin and try to put out the fire consuming the spell book.

Secret Doors & Traps: Two dungeon features that are opposite sides of the same coin. Really I think Chris McDowall has written some of the best bits on this that boil down to "traps are puzzles" and not really "gotcha".

Not interesting: Situations where the PCs have to pick the exact right spot and roll a 1-2 in 6
Interesting: Adding in environmental clues or other sources of information that allows discovery by players investigating the fictional environment

Now, I will keep both rolls as a back-up for either PCs not having a good idea and/or a back-up for perhaps me being unable to convey the fictional environment properly in the moment.

Weapons: I've yet to find a really good way to do weapons simply outside of 1d6 damage for all types. I don't mind BX's variable weapon damage. And I do like some old rulesets sorta "first strike" if your weapon is larger than an opponents other wise smaller, lighter weapons strike first in subsequent arounds.

So here is what I have got so far: Using a weapon two-handed is a +1 to damage, using an off-hand weapon is +1 to-hit, and a shield is of course +1 AC. I do like that fighters with bows can shoot twice if they did not move and the "cleave" ability.

Not interesting: Weapon factors that are so extensive they require a separate rules discussion, trigger player obsession, and/or orient the whole of gameplay to combat
Interesting: What PCs chose to do with their hands: more armor, more weapons, or more light

So that is it for now, if you'd like to see more of my house rules here is my post on the Serpent Song Hymnal. I hope to have a sorta player version created sometime soon but I'm still trying to dial-in what my go-to "french vanilla" D&D is like.

THE D&D IN MY HEAD: In Only 6 Load-Bearing Numbers

art: Mark Tedin

One of the most frustrating questions for me to read is, "Is X-OSR system compatible with Y-OSR adventures?" or "Can I use BX rules with AD&D modules?" or "Can I use OSE with Dolmenwood?" (Good lord! Y'all! Dolmenwood = OSE = BX)

I find these questions frustrating because while there are differences in all those systems they are very minor. And those differences will influence gameplay by 0 versus the "chaotic" nature of a d20 roll at crucial points in gameplay ✤ .

Meaning, it doesn't matter if your save vs Death is supposed to be a 13 or 14 given you'll have to roll a d20 against it. Fight me math nerds, but better to be off by 1 or 2 points in some score than never get the game to the table out of fear of "doing it wrong".

This agonizing also tends to sorta soft-lock away what is otherwise exciting and amazing content (Lair of the Lamb looks cool but I don't play GLOG, I play BX) and reinforces the idea that the math in D&D (and most other RPGs) needs to be so finely balanced for fairness or to make sure the game is not broken (Sigh...I want to run the dungeon but I need to write down stats for every monster and what how do I do traps again? And what if it asks for a save, my system doesnt use those)

Being confident enough to run things "just good enough" to get to the playing of "D&D" is an important skill of any DM. Once you hit that point it is very freeing because your brain power is not chewed up agonizing over system rules and details and can be put to more creative things.

And the next time someone says "Oh I've always wanted to play D&D but never got the chance", you can cannibalize their board games for dice and minis, download a Dyson Logos map, and start playing right there at their table.

To play roughly 0D&D, "Holmes Basic", BX, BECMI, 1eAD&D, & 2eAD&D and by extension the retro-clones White Box, Delving Deeper, Sword & Wizardry, LotFP, Basic Fantasy, and my fav OSE or to run adventures made for one of these with the rule systems of the other, you really only need to know 6 things:

✦ Marcia over at Traverse Fantasy also has outlined a similar "unified language" for D&D with clearer language than my back-of-the-envelope-scrawl; she also discusses unified procedures which I avoid here for breavity ✦

Roll for stats using 3d6 down the line and determine where you get the +/-1 bonus:

STR, DEX, CON, INT, WIS, CHA
3d6 down-the-line (Or roll a d4, d6, d8- its still the same 3 to 18 range)
Easy to remember is this pattern:

18 (+2)
17-13 (+1)
12 to 09 (+0)
08-04 (-1)
03 (-2)

1 HD Monster = Level 1 Fighter

So a 4 HD monster is the same as a level 4 fighter; 0 level people are 1d6 per HD
A Monster HD is d8 and monster damage is d6 and a Fighter HD is generally a d8
If you ever need anything for a monster, look at the fighter class for suggestions
Whatever math you give a monster, you give a fighter the same; so if a 3HD gnoll hits with a +2 then a 3rd level fighter should also get a +2 to-hit

Classes are basically: Use all weapons/armor no magic or Use magic no armor/small weapons:

Fighting types use all weapons and armor and have the biggest HD; advance on with (X)xp

Cleave: If you kill an opponent, move 1 square and make another attack; repeat equal to your level; I really started to feel this helps give fighting types a little

Magic-types use only small weapons, no armor, and have the smallest HD, but cast spells; advance with (X*1.25)xp
If you combine both broad abilities (sans Cleave) into one class, a la the elf, advance with (X*2)xp
X is experience points, coins, monster heads, or "completed adventures", seasons ect

Weapons and Armor: Damage 1d4-1d6-1d8; AC 10, 12, 14, 16

Small weapons (dagger) 1d4, Average weapons (sword) 1d6, Large weapons (battle axe) 1d8
Or simply, weapons 1d6 dmg: sword (melee), spear (reach), bow (range)
Roll a d20 vs the following target armor numbers: None is AC 10, Leather/Gambeson is AC 12, Chain is AC 14, and Plate is AC 16; shields are AC +1

Saves: 14 is the number of fate and the gods ✤✤

The middle number for saves in D&D is 14
"Death" saves are 12 (because you want to make it easier to avoid a one-shot kill) and most "Spell" saves are 16 (because you want most spells to take effect)
So basically: Death (12), Trap (14), Spell (16); Hardy or lucky backgrounds like "Dwarf" or "Halfing" or whatever your fox-based original class is lower their saves by -4.

When in doubt, its a 1-2 on a d6 (or 30%) that thing will happen

Open a stuck door
Check if the PCs/Monsters are surprised
Some random chain reaction happens
Want to compress all the thief skills into a single roll (mod by DEX)
Want to know if a character's background helps them (mod by WIS)

Sidney Sime

I was looking in my "Shared With Me" folder on my Google Drive and came across what appears to be a file by that Mike Mearls outlining his house rules for BX D&D- one of his favorite editions. I reproduced them below.

The context for the rules seems to be tricks picked up from 3e/4e experience and applied to BX D&D rather than house rules that arose at the time he might have played BX. I think.

[Edit in 2025: For reference here is how Gary Gygax ran his games]

Points of interest:

Save throws as just d20 DC checks
Theif skills are DC check but with a bonus based on the BX % divided by 5. So "open locks" in BX starts at 15%, by these house rules it would be a d20 DC check with a +3 bonus
Starting HP = Max HP + half CON score (which on average should allow 1-2 extra hits)
Looks like race-as-class is split to "race" and "class" but with a few bonuses. For instance, you could be a dwarf magic user which would allow you to increase your HD size one step (d4 --> d6), use "find/remove traps" as a thief, and have infravision

It is interesting that the changes are centered around "classic problems":

Standardizing resolution mechanics (d20 4 eva) and removing % rolls and I'm sure X-in-6
Increasing survivability by increasing HD size and HP amount
Increasing player options by expanding access to magic, weapons, and starting character combinations (16 combinations vs. 7 BX classes)

Mike Mearls 1981 D&D House Rules

Ability Mods: We use the 3e/4e convention (+1 or -1 per 2 above/below 10)

Saving Throws: These are ability checks, DC determined by DM

Attacks: Ability check, plus a class-based bonus

Fighter: +1 every odd level

Cleric/Thief: +1 at level 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18

Magic-User: No bonus

Thief Abilities: These work a bit differently.

Open Locks, Find or Remove Traps, Pick Pockets, Hide in Shadows are all things only thieves can do. Hide in shadows is literally that - hide in situations where other people can’t. The thief makes a check with a bonus equal to the % listed on page B8 divided by 5.
Move Silently, Climb Sheer Surfaces, Hear Noise are all things that anyone can try. The rogue has the advantage when he tries any of them.

Advantage: Roll an extra d20, take the highest result. If you get advantage more than once, take an extra die.

Disadvantage: Roll an extra die, but take the lowest. If you have advantage, disadvantage zaps one die per instance of disadvantage.

Hit Points: Upgrade everyone by one die type, you get maximum hit points at level 1 + half your Constitution score.

Hit Dice: You can use your hit dice to heal. You get hit dice equal to your total HD, spend them when resting, each die gets a bonus equal to your Con modifier.

Characters

Dwarves: Increase class’s hit die by one size. Infravision 60 feet. Can use Find or Remove Traps in underground locations.
Elves: Can alternate between magic-user and any other class, have infravision 60 feet.
Halflings: Can Hide in Shadows as a thief, get a +2 bonus to AC, but use an HD one step smaller and can’t use two-handed weapons.
Humans: Gain a +1 bonus to any two stats, or +2 to one stat (maximum 18).

Weapons: d4, d6, d8, or d12, class access based on die size

Fighter: All
Cleric: d6, bludgeoning d8
Thief: d6
Magic-User: d4

COMBAT MANEUVER: Or Can You Shove A Werewolf Off A Cliff?

There is a lot of kudos going around about maneuvers in D&D made simple by a very nice rule brought to light on Odd Skull from an earlier post on Tales from the Rambling Bumblers. The gist of the rule is this:

Attacker declares a maneuver. If the to-hit roll is a success, the defender can choose to either accept the maneuver OR take normal weapon damage.

Very elegant, easy-to-understand rule. Which is the reason its caught fire in the D&D think-space. And I like it too. Now, the Odd Skull post acknowledges that this rule most likely will not allow a PC to shove a full HP opponent into lava. The opponent will always accept the damage.

But this brings up some questions for me:

(1) What about opponents who are immune to normal damage? A werewolf would then accept all damage from non-magic, non-silver weapons bringing it to 0. So effectively the PCs would be unable to maneuver the werewolf off a cliff. But being able to maneuver such opponents can allow low-level parties to overcome or defeat them. Like lassoing them to a rock which you then push over a cliff. Or pinning it with a couple of pitchforks.

(2) If you can't force the maneuver during a critical time, like shoving the full HP werewolf off a cliff when you are at 2 hp-- then how much utility will you get out of this system?

The alternative to this rule, up to this point has been something along the lines of:

If the attacker rolls a successful to-hit, the attacker can perform a maneuver in lieu of dealing damage to the defender. That maneuver is constrained to weapon type and other fesibility.

And I think it might have to stay with the attacker. It does take away agency from the defender, but that is the point of a maneuver in lieu of damage- the ability to manipulate your target without them being able to interfere. In the asymmetric, combat-as-war realm of classic-play D&D this can really help the PCs overcome otherwise indomitable threats. Sand to the face, blinds, and allows the PC to run. Dis-arming prevents the gnoll captain from landing blows with the two-handed sword. The wizard and the thief tackling a vampire might allow the cleric to stake it.

But if the option remains with the defender, then the DM might choose to negate any of the advantages of the maneuver simply by taking the damage. And if PCs can build up enough damage that the DM would choose the maneuver then they most likely didn't need the maneuver anyway.

Another more minor problem that is created is that because the DM knows the HP totals of all combatants and therefore has complete information the PCs don't have, the DM needs to come up with "rules" for which opponents will choose a maneuver all of the time, some of the time or never.

This might have to range over humanoids, animals, insects, fay, dragons, talking animals, oozes, puddings, skeletons and ghouls etc. In the end, if the decision is back on the attacker to call damage or maneuver most of this is reduced down. These attacker-decided maneuvers were demonstrated in this battle I ran.

THE BASICS OF BX D&D: 25 Answers For 25 Questions From Someone New to BX (Part I)

Moldvay Basic (1981)

These questions were from a Reddit post found here. I thought it would be good to answer them as a way to explore my own thinking on BX D&D. And since they come from someone who was getting into Old-School Essentials, I thought this collection represented a base level of what people struggle with/need help understanding. Perhaps you'd like it to try it too. My answers are in basic red.

RULE QUESTIONS

'1) Number of players in a party. The book states 6-8. I already have a hard time pleasing my five 3.5 players. What is your experience? What would be the ideal number of players for you to be comfortable running the game? What would be the absolute maximum you cannot possibly imagine having at the table?

I think there is some debate as to if "players" mean people or total PCs. I have run satisfying BX games with 2-10 players. When playing with 2-4 players, they really do need extra bodies in the form of hirelings and torchbearers. 6-8 is a good sweet spot. 10+ players require the DM to have good table management: move fast around the table, quick decisions making ability.

One good mix, I've found is 3-4 players with 2 characters each. It starts to promote that sorta "troup-style" play where players have a rotating cast of characters. And it lessens PC death.

2) I don't mind being limited to STR, INT and WIS to lower when trying to pump up other stats at character creation, but is there a reason it is these three in particular? Perhaps some of you just lower any chosen stat in your games?

The historical reasons behind this one have been recently pointed out by a poster in Grognardia, my take here. The other aspect is that in ODD, there were only three classes-- fighter, magic-user, & cleric whose prime scores were STR, INT, & WIS.

I really like Delving Deeper's take that you can use every 2 points over 10 of WIS to count toward your prime req when determining XP bonus. It gives WIS scores a little more impact in the game that we IRL ascribe to good wisdom. However, I appreciate the cleverness of Moldvey to just dispense with the Gygxaian complexity and just make the rule basically: lower by 2 to gain +1.

One other reason, Moldvay might have excluded DEX, CON, & CHA from this is because maybe they knew that AC bonus, HP bonus, and high retainer count/reaction bonus were important and really should not be touched (?).

3) Is there a reason saving throws for magic rods or staves are not included in the wand section?

Saves have always been open to interpretation. I've interpreted wands to also be rays emitted from devices aimed at a single target (like magic traps) where rods & staves tend to have more area of effect or passive effects.

I think the best way to think about save-throws is as a way to describe your game. For instance, if you were running a BX game based on a very fantasy gothic interpretation of the Catholic Church-- I'd make your saves the Seven Deadly Sins.

4) Alignment langage. How do you make it work in game? I can sorta get how chaotic people or even lawful people could speak a different jargon (or sign), but neutral? Have you used this mechanic and how to do so?

I use alignment languages as a way to roughly communicate if there is no other common language. But it is very difficult to communicate complex ideas:

chaotic can only communicate in terms of destruction/change; lawful can only communicate growth/stability; neutral can only express cycle/nature/balance.

These languages are in part divine and are known when a PC starts with or even switches alignment. Like tuning into a radio frequency.

At the table, I make players communicate their ask to the goblins to me the DM, only in destructive terms for instance. Then make a ruling on how the goblins react or call for a reaction roll. This should make for difficult precise communication that is open of miscommunication & mistakes--- all great role-play flavor.

5) Are the languages written under the demihuman classes automatically learned by the player? It seems very OP to have a total of 6 languages at level 1 (for the dwarf and elf) which is not even counting their intelligence bonus. Have I misunderstood the rules? Wouldn’t it be a little more realistic to give them common, alignment, elvish/dwarf + perhaps ONE of the three extra (chosen by the player)? What do you think or do?

This will only be OP depending on how important you make languages in your adventures and campaigns. I don't find it very disruptive. And there are plenty of other monsters they might not understand. Also at 4,000 XP from level 1 to level 2, elves can have a little extra.

6) Elves being immune to ghoul paralysis. Any reasons for that? Why no other monster paralysis (not even a paralysis bonus in general).

Ghouls are a great low-level threat so will frequently appear in dungeons. This is a little extra protection again losing an "expensive" (in XP terms) character. I am sure there is also a sorta mythological connection somewhere too, although I have not found it.

7) SO much money! For my 3.5 games, I tend to hold back on gold, because magic items + characters' abilities quickly become too OP. Now, I cannot do that for OSE, since the amount of gold is practically equal to the amount of XP they get. At first, I thought that the gold used for XP would be ‘destroyed’, literally converted in experience. But it appears it is not so… So, what do they do with all this money? Basic weapons, armor, and gear (which are relative luxuries at character creation, quickly becomes cheap for a player that needs 2000 gp to get a level. Are stronghold building and hirelings the only end to a PC’s massive treasure? (aside from magic users and cleric who can use money to create spells and magic items). Taxing the adventurer's gold might be a start.

Do tax! You can't walk around in a roughly feudal society with generally no standing in said society and expect people to let you carry around lordly sums. I also use a couple of other nice rules I picked up:

1. PC can pour gold into improving their gear, weapons but if they lose that stuff in a risky endeavor then they gain XP they "banked" in it. So, if the wizard threw their fancy gold and jade studded cloak over a basilisk's head, then they'd gain the 500 XP for the torn to shreds cloak
2. PCs can invest in carousing to convert gold into additional XP at a risk.
3. I do think given people's time constraints you should wait to long to bring in domain play to lower levels. Have clerics build shrines for instance then maintain them for additional benefit. Fighters can seek titles and thieves can seek gangs. Let wizards make wands for 1st level spells at 3rd level or so, but make them expensive.
4. Also try to break, tear, ruin, and sacrifice equipment and also make players qualify where they are sleeping and how they look. This is important for social standing.
5. Here is my downtime sheet which has additional things on it.

8) BTW, I wonder what the magic-user, who cannot wear armor nor use weapons, could do with his starting money if the player gets lucky with his 3d6 x 10 gp. Should I make him pay for his spell(book)s? It does not seem fair for M-U to pay for a class ability, but nonetheless, how much would cost a unique spell anyways? From what I can see, there is no price list on the magic items' menus. The M-U could use money for research, but it is a question I have for every class actually. It does not botter me that much that magic items are not priced in the book: I'd rather have players earn/find the magic items than paying for it. But then again, what to do with all the XP money ?

If a MU got 180 gp on the starting gold roll, I think the best thing to do is get some retainers (OSE p126). And that also goes for other classes as well.

9) Magical research : I like the idea, especially in the cleric’s case, to be able to craft spells. I now wonder how it is to be done. It seems like a hard thing to create ‘balanced’ magic, especially when the OSE spells are not so many (to help estimate the power/level of a spell. Do you have examples of PC created spells?

I never had PCs do this, but I would just start out maybe asking for altered versions of current spells and build from there. Alternatively, you could just let them go with whatever they want and alter it later if it seems overpowered.

10) Turning the undead. I found it hard to comprehend at first, can you please tell me if I got this right : we roll 2d6 first to see if we are able to turn anything, depending on the monster(s)'s HD (and look at the table provided at page 23), then we roll 2d6 a second time to see how many creatures' HD are actually affected by the turning, right ? And you can try once per encounter?

Yes.

11) Strongholds. I like the idea, of course, but I wonder how it is actually done. Plus, it seems like an awesome mechanic for video games, but here, we have potentially 6-8+ people at the table, all of which may become eligible to build strongholds. Unless they all come together to build a mega keep, how exactly do we help each one create their own little world while still being part of a party? (Especially since it is one of the fighter’s class attribute to be able to build a stronghold from level one if he/she has money). Any examples from your games?

Strongholds are an awesome mechanic and no videogame still does them well. They should be aspirational for your players-- a mark on the world. I have often thought about what I can do to push this aspect of play into lower levels.

The stronghold can be added to by all players, but certainly one would have to be designated as the lord. However, it could be used as a base of operations to launch other lower-level characters who grow into their own stories. Because by the time players get to traditional domain-level play, they often would retire those characters.

12) Small sized weapons (and armor). What about them? What is an "appropriate to size weapon"? Do you need a smaller sword for your halfling? I see 3 possible interpretations :

In 3e, any weapons can be converted in damage and price so that smaller or greater races could use them. Yet, here, no damage or price conversion for that. So I do not see it as the B/X way.
In the OSE Advanced rules, in the 'attacking with two weapons" optional rules, it is stated that secondary weapons 'must be of small size (e.g. a dagger or hand axe)'. Thinking this way, halflings would only be able to use actual physical "smaller" weapons, like a short bow or a hand axe, and on the other hand would be forbidden from using longbows or two-handed weapons in general. So it would greatly reduce the number of damage a halfling could do (not so bad, after all, since they are a really strong 'fighter' race to begin with).
Perhaps it is up to you to translate a "human" weapon to a smaller size (kinda adapting the 3e way but not needing a conversion table. You would simply take a 1d8 sword and see it as a double-handed sword for halflings, a human shortbow would be considered an halflin's longbow, and so forth

What do you guys do to adapt weapons to the appropriate size?

Yup. Sounds reasonable to me. See already getting the hand of "rulings" over explicit rules.

13) Monsters attacks.

The rules state that there are 'alternative attack routines in square brackets', but I genuinely have not noticed any square brackets related to monsters' attacks. Regular parenthesis, yes, but no brackets. Is that a mistake from the book? Or have I missed something?
The rules state "the attacks that the monster can use each round", so does that mean that when the book states "2 claws (2d4), 1 bite (1d6)", each time it attacks, the monster deals (if it hits) 2d4 + 1d6 of damage? Or do you roll 2d4 twice, once for each claw? Do you roll for both claws and bite, or do you have a separate roll for each?

If the stat is Att: 2x claw (1d4), 1x bite (1d6), then I interpret it as 3 attacks per round and I will roll for each attack and its dmg. If the word or is used in the attack description, I will interpret it as a choice.

14) Why is movement in a dungeon (per turn) so slow? (I mean, the book gives a reason, but still). Is it specially designed to burn resources? Would it break the exploration balance to change the rate? If PC's are so careful, it makes you wonder how they can still get surprised by wandering monsters or fall into a track pit.

Essentially yes; If you change the rate you are changing the number of encounters and resource burn. PCs are being careful, but monsters are careful too and adapted to this mythic underworld enviornment.

Increasing the rate does alter exploration balance and player decision. Because if adjusted too high, players will realize they can just zip around the dungeon. The decision to go deeper is not longer fraught with peril. Saping the dungeon and game of tension.

15) Searching: if the characters have a base movement rate of x feet per turn (because they are being cautious), does it mean that to search a corridor, they have to take one additional turn, or do we search secret doors and traps 'as we walk', using the base movement rate in feet per turn and rolling during this time ?

Yes, to search is a different action than moving. In ODD the elf character's ability could be interpreted as passive. However it is an important, risk, and interesting choice to decide to stop moving and spend time searching (which can draw a random encounter).

I think the key is don't make searching for secret doors sadistic as in 1 door in a 150 ft long blank hallway. Instead try to place them, say, behind 1 of 4 statues. Have the statue indicate something to the player-- 3 look right, 1 looks left.

16) Evasion : I don't really understand the wilderness evasion table. How does a group of 4+ pursuers have fewer chances to catch up with the fleeing group? Shouldn't that be the exact opposite (the more the pursuers, the more the chance of one being able to outrun the fleeing side, right?). Is it because percentages are upside down? I still have a hard time remembering which lower rolls are better and which higher rolls are better...

Its all roll under and for me it makes sense that if the pursuer group is large, then they start to confuse themselves. Sometimes even chasing their own party members mistakenly.

17) Retainers: what is your experience with retainers? It is a very nice mechanic, but it seems that a party with average charisma may well attract a dozen retainers if not more at their side. Of course, this may not be possible depending on the game/area/dice, but still, the raw rules allow it. How do you manage that many NPCs at a time in a game/dungeon/fight? Have you done it?

I like them and way to encourage their use more. You might attract them, but you still have to pay for them. Either by gold or magic items. As a DM I try to make what they are motivated by at least a little unique.

Really retainers can be run like NPC monsters (MV, AC, HD, Weapon) and very importantly loyalty rating. They also don't want to just blindly get themselves killed. And if they do die, well maybe someone comes looking for them... maybe that someone could even be a demon looking to gather a soul.

18) Encounter balance. (this one is also a rant)So, I know there is no real balance, but still. The dungeon encounter table (p. 204) gives a 2d6 wolf on a 1st dungeon level. 2 freaking d6 wolves ! It's outrageous! That's a potential 12 HD 4+1; twelve 19-hp wolves that can deal 8 damage each turn, killing one PC character each in one round! And don't hit me with the "oh, but they can always run away if they be smart", this is three times a TPK, and that is especially given for 1st level dungeons! By comparison, the table gives 2d4 bugbears on a 3rd level dungeon, or 1) less creatures with 2) less HP than the bloodthirsty dire wolves from the 1st level. It does not make sense at all. And I have not really read the rest of the encounter table, mind you. Rant over.

Seriously, how do you do it? How do you give your world a tiny tad of balance? How do you keep your low-level players alive with such random tables? They cannot escape everything, and OK, they know the OSR games will be deadlier, but having few to no clue as to how to give appropriatish enemies is tough. Do we just look at the HD and consider that a party of x members of Y level is able to kill about x creatures of Y HD?

Ooo! This question could be a whole book!

The first thing is to stop thinking that an "encounter", at some level, must always also be a winnable combat by the PCs.

Only when faced with overwhelming odds, do players really pull out all the stops. Only when faced with overwhelming odds, do utility spells or gear start to really make a difference; position & environment make a difference; alignment language or high CHA matter because negotiation is a quick way out.

BX explicitly points out ways this "imbalance" is managed in-game (using OSE):

The ENCOUNTER REACTION ROLL (OSE p115): What does it mean if these 2d6 wolves are friendly or wary? What about an Ogre who is "neutral"? The encounter reaction roll helps the DM not initially start off the encounter as the NPC side being aggressive.

But this also requires the DM to make a determination of what these creatures want. Maybe the Ogre wants to get into room #5, but is too large. Can a bargain be struck?

The "BRIBE" (OSE p116): While listed under PURSUIT, there is no reason to think a gift of food, wine, or gold won't go a long way in distracting monsters-- intelligent or otherwise.

Once in combat, the "MORALE CHECK" (OSE p123) provides a way the combat might end due to the first death being inflicted on the enemy or 50% of the forces destroyed. My own house rule allows for a check when the "leader" is killed as well.

But to go back to the earlier point about a DM knowning what a creature wants, this allows combat objectives other than kill everyone as I outlined here. [PART II]

THE BASICS OF BX D&D: 25 Answers For 25 Questions From Someone New to BX (Part II)

PART I HERE

19) 'Wishing for more wishes: this will result in an infinite time loop, putting the character out if play.' Is the game saying that characters asking for infinite wishes are doomed to an infinite time loop? This is perhaps my english missing the subtlety here, but I'm not sure of what to make of this.

The point is that when players attempt to subvert magic for an unfair advantage- the DM should take their words and actions to the literal worst interpretation. So getting more wishes because you are stuck in an infinite time loop is the worst way to technically get more wishes.

20) What does ESP stand for exactly? Extra Sensory Perception >>

21) No weapon seem to be actually cursed on the weapons table p.270. Is that a mistake and what would be a good percentage of cursed weapons if we had to roll for it?

I think this depends on the context of the weapon. A weapon forged by demonic hands might not be cursed, but it might seem that way to a lawful PC if all its magic powers are fueled by blood. Good cursed weapons have a great power that tempts players to risk the curse.

22) Is OSE compatible with ADD? What would be to adapt? Yes with some unimportant modifications. Most players back in the day freely mixed the two.

23) How do you make exploration fun/exciting? I have read many on the sub who seem to enjoy exploration more than anything else in RPG's.

This itself is could also be the subject of a book. But I think it can be summed up more easily than combat: is what you are exploring interesting enough to risk going a little further in? And related, is player choice meaningful?

If the answer to both is "yes" then you have an interesting environment to explore. Might also be good to review this dungeon checklist by Goblin Punch.

24) How do you handle death since it may happen more often than in more recent editions? Do you created many characters from the start/make your players roll for several characters? Do you pick up an NPC from the town and bring him/her to the party? I am considering starting my PCs with family (spouse, children) than may or may not go on adventures if the first PC dies.

Just roll up a new character and jump back in terms of death. But yeah, sometimes players might enjoy 2+ characters because it lessens the impact of one death. The players to look then toward the campaign instead of just at their single character.

25) How do you deal with the 'may attack' on the monster reaction table? Attacking on a 2 only is quite low, and I'm guessing that many monsters would choose to attack rather than parleying. Do you have a moment where everything said or done by the players could start a fight?

Why would they rather attack than parley? Again think about what the creature wants only the really zealous or mindless (undead) fight to the death. A tiger will stop attack ing you if you hit it hard enough or if you make a threatening enough display initially.

THE BATTLE FOR THE RUBY SKULL: An Experiment In Alternative B/X D&D Combat

MY "PROBLEM"

To me, the best "time scale" in old-school D&D (and any D&D really) is exploration. The time it takes to clear a room with 4-6 PCs in real life (~30 min) matches what is tracked in-game. Social interactions are very similar and very close to 1 to 1. Wilderness travel often deviates very noticeably, especially when a DM basically teleports the PCs to the next major location.

But combat always provides the sticking point. Each round is only supposed to track 6 seconds of time, but in reality, each round can really, really drag. When instead it should be fun and exciting.

MY EXPERIMENT

I started reading Kill Team to see what the Warhammer folks had to say and a couple of things jumped out at me:

Initiative was side, not individual models (very similar to B/X)
Objectives were present
Five rounds is all the game lasts with a roll at the end of the 5th for one more round

Two other OSR bloggers also had some suggestions about combat. Chris McDowd of Into The Odd had this variation for 5e combat (scaled for B/X):

Roll 1d20 and compare to the opponents AC:

If a "natural 1", it is a miss- deal no damage

If less than AC, it is a glance- deal 1 point of damage, cannot drop HP below 0

If greater than or equal to AC, it is a hit- deal average weapon damage, can drop HP below 0

If a "natural 20", it is a critical hit- deal max weapon damage, can drop HP below 0

Next is Nick LS Whelan from Paper & Pencils fame with a really good suggestion thrown out on the OSR Discord:

If a hit, PC can deal damage OR maneuver the enemy (negotiated by player & DM)

If a critical hit, PC can deal damage AND maneuver the enemy (negotiated by player & DM)

A maneuver is a push, pull, trip, disarm, grapple or anything else that is reasonable with the context of the PC and the weapon or item they are welding.

To test how well these rule work in combination I printed up some random parties of 4x 2 level random characters (+ random equipment; four parties of 4; sixteen PCs total), threw some random terrain on the table, and my friend declared that a ruby skull at the one side of the room had to be carried through the door of the other side of the room. But it could only be carried with two hands.

The movement was dictated by B/X rules mainly based on the armor you were wearing.

The beginning. Forces of Law upper left, Chaos lower left.
Ruby skull to the right (objective) & door to the left (end goal)

And-- this work really well! Were were able to play two battles of 8 v 8 in about two hours. It was a tactical challenge with some great free form moments borne by the maneuver rules as described above. Remembered highlights:

Wizards (wearing no armor) and Thieves (wearing leather) moving fast really meant a lot with an objective in play. That ~6-8 squares per round is amazing vs. metal armoring moving 4 square per round. You can one (light blue) moving quite fast in the picture up top.
Even with two spells, Wizards did their fair share as a properly timed Magic Missile or Sleep spell really changed the battlefield. And one of my wizards had the floating disc spell which freed up moving the ruby skull on her turn.
The "supercharged" combat rules really added nice intensity to combat. The glance rule definitely helped some amazing comebacks, but the slow tick even wore down those with chain and plate.
Combat did reach a decisive conclusion in 5 rounds in both games. It's like those Warhammer people know something about skirmish games.
So what about those maneuver rules?

Some characters had 8 and 10 feet of chain in their equipment and used them as improvised weapons (1/4) to also entangle & disarm weapons
A bad of sand was used to blind (and blinded creatures cannot attack in B/X)
Two PCs of Law dumped my PC, Zweihander David, into an open crypt and shut it.
The forces of Chaos were able to switch places with forces of Law at the door to clear a lane.

The end. The forces of Law pulled out a narrow victory by grabbing the ruby skull at the "goal line"
and went through the door (left). Over on the right, you can see a pile of dead thief and wizard bodies
-- an early and vicious knife fight.

MY ADDITIONS(?)...I guess I am still mulling this over.

I've always enjoyed the "notch" system by 10 Foot Polemic so maybe a hit that equals AC does 1 dmg but reduced the target's AC by 1. Notch weapons on a miss "natural 1".
I still feel like swords, daggers, axes, maces, two-handed swords, and spears should have some easy to use quality to them that is meaningful (like spears have reach).
I thought maybe some good healing rules might be:

Combat lasts 5 rounds
If the PCs route, defeat, or complete their objective, then they earn d6 x (5-current round) HP back after combat. If they retreat its half that-- cowards.
Maybe if they obtain an objective they get an immediate +1d6 HP
Roll HP per day

A way to make objectives concrete but can be chosen each battle- does Delores Stroke have an answer?

CARCOSA ALTERNATIVE CHARACTER CREATION

Nice post from Throne of Salt that I think could also be used to generate characters for Carcosa.

I really like the CONCEPT table where once per session, a player can either add 1d6 points to a roll or re-roll a skill check provided they are acting according to their character concept.

This sounds like a nice house rule to mix with 5e's backgrounds, ideals, bonds, and flaws in some manner.

Concept	Aspect
1) Adventurer	Go out there and find some excitement.
2) Creator	Working, building, making.
3) Mentor	Teacher and keeper of knowledge.
4) Martyr	Self-sacrifice for others' sake.
5) Ruler	Control and command
6) Seeker	Looking for answers.
7) Healer	Fights against the world's decay.
8) Traditionalist	Upholds the old ways.
9) Mediator	The point between two parties.
10) Hermit	Isolation, solitude, wisdom.
11) Heretic	Upends faith, casts doubt.
12) Conqueror	Glorious victory at all costs.
13) Abomination	Something's broken inside.
14) Destroyer	Let nothing remain standing.
15) Chosen	Hailed as the doer of a great task.
16) Defiler	Blame and undermine all others.
17) Protector	Protect and preserve what is precious.
18) Visionary	Big-picture ideas of a better tomorrow.
19) Zealot	Of absolute faith and conviction.
20) Disciple	Follower of teachers old and new.
21) Righteous	Unshakable confidence in their path.
22) Traveler	The open road still softly calls.

OSR RULES FOR RUNNING AN OUT OF BODY CAMPAIGN

Emmy Allen can't stop making great stuff. As if The Gardens of Ynn and Stygian Library aren't good enough, she's blazing her trail toward the OSR throne with rules like these for a dreamscape campaign. Or these for astral projection.

Might be great when combined with Through Ultan's Door and maybe a OD&D/Holmes ruleset instead of my beloved B/X...

INTO THE ODD COMBAT FOR YOUR D&D/CLONE OF CHOICE

One of the interesting things about Into The Odd is the combat rules. Basically, there is no to-hit roll, but if you are in the range of an attack you just roll damage. Here is a version of those rules for 5e D&D. Given how super-charged PCs are in 5e, this might be a great way to check them.

I'd have to think about applying it to B/X or LotFP, but it would make combat much more deadly.

Edit: Now that I've had time to think it's really infected my brain. I can't shake the idea that it would really make combat quick, but require more tactics on both the part of the DM and PCs.

The Marigold Tarot by Amrit Brar

ENCOUNTER REACTION CHECKS: I'm a big fan, and making combat more deadly will increase the likelihood players will want to at least try to talk first. Of course, this puts more pressure on the DM to come up with what monsters, NPCs, and adversaries want from the PCs (which might improve adventures as a whole).

INITIATIVE- Becomes extremely important to keep and maintain this in combat because of a single hit yielding so much damage. Maybe light weapons increase the initiative die size?

RANGE- Another factor that increases in importance. In most D&D combat ranged weapons are "meh" because most combat does not take place on a wide enough battlefield. However, if a bow gets you 1 or 2 attacks without any response that's huge in this system.

MELEE- I would still want to try to give other properties to weapons beyond to-hit/dmg. Big weapons are already going to hit hard with 10 or 12 damage. Maybe add reach, parry, slow, reload to emphasize other combat aspects. Weapon choice should be distinct and easy to understand with different weapons giving different situational advantages.

COVER- need more of it on the table to help increase AC especially for those characters with armor restrictions.

MORALE CHECKS- like REACTION CHECKS above, I think this optional rule is strengthened when combat is made deadlier. Now its easier to perform a first strike, kill a leader, or 50% of the force, so it makes sense to force the conflict into a route or non-combat exchange.