Swords & Wizardry
Kilgore’s been waiting for this because of the focus on thieves in both Swords & Wizardry rulesets. I want to check out what’s included before making final decisions on my own White Box Thief.
Also available is the S&W Monster Book. Though this was created for the S&W Core rules, I picked one up. Conversion to White Box should be a snap, and I’m sure some of the nasty critters will find their way into my Labyrinth Lord game, as well.
Definitely check out these new offerings, as well as everything else at Mythmere’s store. Lots of good stuff.
(The White Box rules are undergoing corrections, so maybe hold off on those if you can. Hate to say it, but I know I’d be unhappy if I ordered something only to see a new and improved version released the following week.)
Tags: Swords & Wizardry, thief
Here is the system I currently use in both my Labyrinth Lord and S&W White Box games regarding character hit points, death, and dying:
- 0 hp = unconscious for 1d6 turns, will revive with 1 hp
- -1 to -9 hp = save vs. death or die, successful save means 0hp (as above)
- -10 or lower = immediate death, no save
I allow “binding wounds” which is a catch-all for bandaging, drinking water (or something stronger to buck things up), catching breath, rest, and just general regathering of wits. This heals 1d3 hit points, takes 5 minutes, and must be completed within 1 turn of the end of combat. This means that if binding isn’t started within five minutes of the end of combat, it’s forfeited. This allows a bit of “securing the area” or retreat (if necessary). Only damage suffered in that particular combat can be healed by binding.
An unconscious character may have his wounds bound by someone else, which revives him in 5 minutes with 1hp. No further binding for that battle allowed for that character, and the third party who revived him cannot bind his own wounds.
Anyone can bind wounds. I figure every adventurer is either a bit of a combat medic or learns pretty fast.
For recovery, I allow up to 1d3 hp healed per night, depending on conditions. For instance:
- While camping:
- Fire AND bedroll: 1d3 hp
- Fire OR bedroll: 1d2 hp
- Neither fire or bedroll: 1 hp
This is open to a wide range of on-the-spot modifiers. Camping with a bedroll during a violent thunderstorm may only allow 1hp recovery. Sleeping in a fine bed after a filling meal and a hot bath may allow for more.
I rule that monsters and non-key NPCs are generally dead a 0 hit points.
This system seems to work pretty well in play. PCs are still quite mortal, but the odds of survival when reduced below zero aren’t terrible. We used to rule that failing the below zero save meant a character was “dying” and would survive for 1 turn before expiring. Only magical healing could revive them, though someone binding their wounds “stabilized” them and allowed for another saving throw. This was a bit cumbersome and not quite lethal enough, so we ditched it.
On a Swords & Wizardry forum thread discussing death and dying, Grim mentioned that he felt if he let characters go below zero and live, he’d have to do the same for monsters. I don’t feel that way at all these days, though at one time I did.
I have no problem with monsters having different rules than PCs. NPC wizards don’t need to follow the rules or spell progressions of PC magic-users if something else will make the adventure better, and in a similar vein I don’t feel that monsters always need to play by the same rules that PCs do.
Though I’m no longer afraid to kill of PCs, I don’t mind giving them a slightly-better-than-normal chance of survival.
Tags: Labyrinth Lord, rules, Swords & Wizardry
In order to speed Swords & Wizardry White Box character creation even more, I’m going to go with a starting equipment list based on something posted on the S&W forums by Thoth Amon.
In short, rather than rolling up gold and then poring over the equipment list for what seems like forever, players will add the standard items to their sheet, pick four more, and roll 2d6 for gold. I will still allow a quick trip to purchase additional gear if needed, though the limited funds should keep that to a minimum.
Each character begins with the following equipment:
- Backpack
- Bedroll
- Flint & Steel
- 7 days trail rations
- Waterskin
- 6 Torches
- Dagger or Hatchet
- One weapon of choice (if bow, crossbow or sling, 20 ammo included)
- Leather Armor (if other than a Magic-user or Elf; they get a Spellbook)
- 2d6 gold pieces
Each character also begins with any four of the following items:
- 50’ Rope and Grappling Hook
- 10 Iron spikes and Small Hammer
- Holy Symbol
- 2 vials of Holy Water
- Thieves’ Tools
- Helmet
- Upgrade from Torches to Lantern and 3 pints of Oil
- 4 pints of Oil (in individual ceramic flasks)
- One weapon of choice (if bow or crossbow, 20 ammo included)
- Shield
- Upgrade armor from Leather to Chain (or from none to Leather if elf)
No, the values aren’t necessarily balanced or in line with the original 3d6x10pg roll. One additional note is that no one is allowed to sell any of their initial equipment until they reach 2nd level unless it’s a dire circumstance and the GM approves. This will prevent players from choosing expensive items and immediately hawking them for gold and buying their preferred (and cheaper) equipment.
Besides speeding character creation, I think this system will help newer players quite a bit as they won’t be at a loss as to what to get. And they’ll have a bit of confidence because picking four items isn’t so hard and can’t be screwed up too badly.
Tags: rules, Swords & Wizardry
I see no reason why this guy wouldn't be perfectly acceptable as a magic-user.
My son’s magic-user Felix Fireball (currently in the clutches of vile goblins Below Wolf Rock) immediately sort of ticked me off by selecting a spear and choosing to stand in the second rank and attack from there.
Why ticked off? See, I was thinking more “Gandalf with Glamdring,” not “some infantryman in a robe with a pointy hat.” But that’s what I get.
For the record, I don’t necessarily see magic-users as skinny guys wearing robes and pointy hats. In fact, for the purposes of White Box, I’m leaning more toward “you don’t have any freaking idea whether that guy over there can cast spells or not.” Everyone is capable of fighting, but magic-users have traded time they might have spent learning the craft of fighting well for time studying the arcane arts (and earning their Standard Book of Spells). This is reflected in the slow progression of their Base Hit Bonus.
I’m waffling on magic weapons. On one hand, I’m thinking that maybe characters can only use magic weapons on the original list for their class. On the other hand, this doesn’t really make any sense, and it still keeps Gandalf from wielding Glamdring.
Finally, I don’t want to stray too far from the origins of the game. Though letting magic-users wield magic swords doesn’t break the game at all, it does certainly put a gap between my campaign and the way they did it in the olden days. I still haven’t really decided if that gap is too big or not.
I brought it up on the S&W forums and I also just came across this thread on the OD&D forums. There are some heavy hitters weighing on on that one.
(I whipped up that character image using Heromachine. Click for bigger version.)
Tags: rules, Swords & Wizardry
As I noted Sunday, we finally kicked off our first Swords & Wizardry White Box campaign. Alas, mean old Kilgore only took about twenty minutes to wipe out the bold adventurers played by his wife, son, and daughter in the first all-family game ever.
For the special occasion of kicking off a new campaign in a new game meant to get things back to the old roots of it all, I broke out the only two survivors of my original set of dice:
Kilgore's Red Dice - A little worse for the wear
As you can see, these polyhedrons have been trough many campaigns. Red Six, in particular, is looking a bit rough around the edges. These began play in late 1982 or early 1983 after being purchased at Don’s Hobby in Mankato, Minnesota. We had been borrowing a friend’s set of dice for months, but my brother and I pooled our pennies to pick these babies up. The set served as our primary (usually only) dice until I picked up a set of painted purple dice in 1985 or 1986.
Though it’s probably clear to the grognards out there, some may wonder why the numbers on Red Twenty are two different colors. For many years, virtually all d20s were numbered 0-9 twice, and different colors were used to identify whether you added 10 to the result or not. Red Twenty always (I think) used green and yellow. Green meant +10.
And, for those not familiar with the requirement, you had to color in your own dice. Some sets came with special grease sticks, but we always just used crayons. Green and yellow for Red Twenty, white for the rest.
Part of the reason I made sure to use these dice for our inaugural White Box game is that I’m trying to use only d6 and d20 for the game. There are a few points in the rules that call for something other than a d6 or d20 (usually a d4, it seems) but I’m going to try to work it out so that only these two dice are required to play the game. d100 can either be simulated by rolling two d20 or by using only percentages divisible by 5 and using a straight d20 roll to resolve.
I believe that I first got the idea after seeing someone else mention it online somewhere, but I don’t recall where it was.
I’m going to keep using these red meanies for a couple more sessions. Hey, you never know. They may have another TPK left in them yet.
UPDATE: Recalling the good old days these dice have seen has reminded me of an amazing (and basically unbelievable, though I stand by it) story: My Grandma: One in 16,588,800
Tags: dice, Swords & Wizardry
One thing that’s been bugging me a bit about Swords & Wizardry White Box is the question of how to determine the number of spells in a beginning magic-user’s (or elf’s) spell book and which spells they are. Read Magic is a given, but I’ve been struggling to come up with an elegant way to get the rest.
I posed the question on the S&W forums and got a number of good answers, but I must admit that I was surprised by the fact that two suggested allowing beginning magic-users have all the first level spells.
That’s something I’m having a bit of trouble wrapping my mind around.
On the one hand, I’ve always felt that the Vancian magic system was a bit too limiting, and have played with various options to increase the options available to mages. On the other, I fear that granting all first-level spells (granted, there are only 8 of them in WB) would open things up a bit too much.
I always liked 1e’s version of randomly determining spells which had players roll for one offensive, one defensive, and one miscellaneou spell. With the small number of first-level spells in S&W White Box, though, this isn’t really an option.
So I’m going to take the plunge and borrow a page from Harry Potter. All first-level magic-users and elves will get all eight first-level spells listed in the WB rules in a Standard Book of Spells:
- Charm Person
- Detect Magic
- Hold Portal
- Light I
- Protection from Chaos I
- Read Languages
- Read Magic
- Sleep
Part of my reasoning is that I’d like to see more variety from low-level magic-users. I’d also like to make them a bit more fun to play. Finally, the low number of spells at first level is not replicated at higher levels. You’d think that basic magic would be the most diverse out there, but, in fact, no other spell level in White Box has fewer than ten spells.
I’m taking this to mean that while the eight spells listed above have become the standard that all educated magic-users learn, there is a very wide range of other first-level magic out there that has been developed “in the wild” and can be discovered on scrolls, in enemy’s spellbooks, or by research. While there are a lot of them, none of them have become well-known enough to enter the mainstream. This will be a good way to get the wide range of first-level spells from other editions into my WB campaigns. One at a time. With much effort required.
Who knows? Maybe the exact formula for a magic missile spell may become a sort of holy grail sought by wizards across the lands.
Tags: rules, Swords & Wizardry
Wolf Rock is a large rocky hill a few miles outside of town that legend says was once the location of a great tower. Ruined foundations can still be found on Wolf Rock, but the tower has been gone for a century or more. A decade or so ago a band of adventurers appeared in town with gold they said they had plundered from a labyrinth under Wolf Rock, and after resting and rearming they set off to get more. They were never seen again. Since then, Wolf Rock has been avoided by all. Over the years, a number of strange events and even some disappearances have been linked to the place, but no one has dared to investigate.
Recently, a local woodsman was caught in a terrible storm, and with nowhere else to go, he took shelter under some stones leaning against each other on Wolf Rock. He discovered a small tunnel that led into the hill. He poked his head in and saw steps disappearing into darkness, and has guided the PCs and two men-at-arms to the spot for 10gp.
After weeks of waiting, we finally managed to start up our first S&W White Box game tonight, a small campaign I’m calling Below Wolf Rock. My wife (who hasn’t played since a little 2e more than 15 years ago) and my two kids (who have been playing Labyrinth Lord) all rolled up new PCs. It took a little longer than I expected, mostly because of questions about WB that we hadn’t considered, but soon a magic-user, a cleric, and a dwarf were ready to begin their careers as adventurers seeking gold and glory.
The party:
Felix Fireball, a magic-user – played by my son
Dreythin, a cleric – played by my daughter
Castra, a female dwarf – played by my wife
The dwarf entered first and saw that all was clear. The rest of the party followed and they headed down the stairs. They soon discovered a heavy iron-bound wooden door but were unable to open it. Deciding it must be locked, they moved on. A bit further on down the corridor, they came to a side passage and a strange metal lever sticking out of the corridor wall. They checked out the lever but did not touch it. After a quick discussion, they headed down the side passage to where they had seen a couple of doors.
They opened the first door to find a chamber with 8 goblins inside. Seven of the gobs grabbed swords and prepared to attack while the last picked up a curved horn. Seeing this, the magic-user hurled a spear at the goblin with the horn [all classes can use all weapons in our WB game] and killed it. At that point, everything went downhill for the party.
None of the rest of the party landed any hits in the first round, though the goblins did little better. The next round, the party won initiative again, but everyone missed again. This time around, the goblins didn’t do so badly and at the end of the round only one of the men-at-arms was still standing. The gobs finished him off the next round.
We played for a total of less than twenty minutes. I make most of my rolls in the open, so I couldn’t have fudged things much even if I had wanted to. After the first hit against the horn-blower by my son, the party missed 9 consecutive attack rolls against normal goblins. That doesn’t usually bode well for anyone.
I was pretty excited about having the whole family adventuring together, and I was also liking the idea of not needing to run any NPCs. I had the players control the men-at-arms, just noting that I reserved the right to veto anything I thought was out of line.
I hadn’t intended to play a long session at all, but I didn’t mean to keep things short by killing everyone.
The only possible out I have at this point is the fact that all three of the PCs were only knocked unconscious, not killed outright, and are probably prisoners of the goblins right now. This band of goblins is actually already holding a dwarf prisoner, and a possible random encounter in the dungeon is a group of dwarves searching for their missing comrade. I’m trying to decide if I can cook up some sort of rescue by the dwarves or if these characters are simply more victims of the ruins Below Wolf Rock.
Regardless, there will be more Wolf Rock in the near future.
Tags: session, Swords & Wizardry, Wolf Rock
Well, okay. Not exactly cursed.
But I accidentally discovered that our public library carries the 4th Edition D&D books. So I put them on hold to check them out. They also carry that “Dungeons and Dragons for Dummies” book, so I ordered that as well.
One thing in particular I want to look at is this “ritual” spell casting that I’ve seen mentioned. I plan to address the issue of 6th-level (and higher) spell casting in my Swords & Wizardry White Box game by making them all some sort of involved ritual. I’m not quite sure how I’m going to go about that, but I want to stick to the 10th-level limit for characters while still making some high-power magic potentially available. Maybe I can get some ideas from 4e spell casting rules. Or maybe not. We’ll see.
Other than that, it’s mostly curiosity that drove me to reserve the books. While it certainly seems that 4e is a far different game than the one I want to play, I’m sure that there are actually a fair number of worthwhile ideas in there. I’m certainly not going to purchase them, but it will be interesting to look them over.
I hope this doesn’t cost me any old school karma.
Tags: rules, Swords & Wizardry
