The B/X or Labyrinth Lord Kender

Kender

Requirements: DEX 9, CHA 9

Prime Requisite: DEX and CON

Hit Dice: 1d6

Maximum Level: 8

Kender are small, elfin humanoids that primarily reside in eastern Ansalon - though due to an affliction called Wanderlust, are found all across the continent. Irrepressible, fearless, and preptually curious, most other species of Krynn regard Kender as pests. Their combination of youthful curiousity, energetic nature, and the complete inability to feel the emotion of fear makes them natural adventurers. Unfortunately, this curiousity leads Kender to "handle" various objects that strike their fancy. They fearlessly examine, fiddle with, and often break objects that are shiny, magical, or newly encountered. This handling often ends with the Kender unknowingly putting the object in question in their many pouches. It doesn't matter whether the object is nailed down, protected, or even on someone else's person - a curious Kender will absently and unknowingly pocket the item. This is not theft, though most other species regard it as such. For the Kender, the fact that the object is interesting is of surpreme importance and not its monetary value.

For all the trouble Kender inadvertantly bring to their adventuring companions, they are nimble-fingered, stealthy, and quite skilled at picking a lock. These talents, combined with their boundless sense of hope and wonder, can make them surprisingly valuable allies when exploring the dark and terrible places of the world.

Kender rely on their agility and perpetual optimism to survive. They only wear padded, leather, and studded leather armor. They do not use shields. Like dwarves, Kender may not use large and two-handed weapons, but may use any other weapon. They favor a weapon unique to their people, a quarterstaff with a sling mounted at its top. This weapon is called a Hoopak. When a Kender wields a Hoopak in melee it inflicts 1d6 damage and when the sling is used as a ranged weapon it inflicts 1d4 points of damage. Hoopaks are only sold in Kender lands and cost 5 gold pieces.

If they have a 13 in at least one or the other prime requisite, the Kender receives a +5% to all experience points they earn. If both prime requisites are 13 or higher, the character receives a +10% bonus.

Kender Class Progression

Experience	Level	Hit Dice	Open Locks & Handling
0	1	1d6	60%
2,035	2	2d6	65%
4,085	3	3d6	70%
8,175	4	4d6	75%
16,251	5	5d6	80%
32,501	6	6d6	85%
65,001	7	7d6	90%
130,001	8	8d6	95%

Saving Throw

Level	Breath Weapon	Poison or Death	Petrify or Paralyze	Wands	Spells
1-3	13	8	10	9	12
4-6	10	6	8	7	10
7-8	7	4	6	5	8

Combat

Character

Defender Armor Class

Level	-3	-2	-1	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
1-2	20	20	20	19	18	17	16	15	14	13	12	11	10
3	20	20	19	18	17	16	15	14	13	12	11	10	9
4	20	19	18	17	16	15	14	13	12	11	10	9	8
5	19	18	17	16	15	14	13	12	11	10	9	8	7
6	18	17	16	15	14	13	12	11	10	9	8	7	6
7-8	17	16	15	14	13	12	11	10	9	8	7	6	5

Keen Senses: Because of their keen senses, Kender can detect concealed doors, secret doors, and traps when they come within ten feet of them with a 1-2 on 1d6 chance of success. If actively searching for these things, they are successful on 1-3 on 1d6. Their sharp senses also makes it difficult to surprise a Kender, and they are only surprised on a 1 on 1d6.

Quick and Nimble: Because of their small size and quick reflexes, all Kender receive a +1 bonus to their Armor Class when fighting against an opponent who is larger than man-sized. They also receive +1 to all attack rolls made when using a ranged weapon.

Fearless: Kender are completely immune to fear, whether natural or magical. It simply does not effect them.

Stealth: As long as the Kender remains perfectly still and can conceal themselves through obstruction or shadows, the remain undetected 90% of the time. If the Kender moves at half their movement rate, they can remain perfectly silent with the same chance of success.

Open Locks: Kender can pick locks as long as they have the tools to do so. They are extraordinarily skilled at this and have a 60% chance of success at first level, and this increases by +5% per level. This ability can also be used to disarm traps, but with only half the normal chance of success.

Pouches: Kender typically carry countless pouches, great and small, in which they store the miscellaneous objects they've acquired in their travels. Whenever the Kender reaches into the pouch, he can produce a random item determined by the referee. Typically, these items are shiny, interesting, or unique - not necessarily valuable or magical.

Handling: Kenders are not thieves and do not knowingly steal. Because of this, they do not have a Pick Pocket skill like a more traditional "thief." Instead, the Kender will sometimes unknowingly pilfer an item from an individual, particularly if that item is interesting or unique. The referee determines exactly when this happens. The Kender's chance of going unnoticed by the victim of this ability is 60% and increases by +5% per level.

Taunting: Once per day, the Kender may spend the combat round verbally taunting an individual target with a surprisingly offensive and creative insults. The target must be able to hear the Kender. That target must then make a saving throw vs. spells or become enraged and focus on attacking the Kender. Because they are infuriated and focused on destroying the obnoxious pest, they suffer a -2 penalty to their Armor Class for 1d6 rounds after they have failed their saving throw.

The Bastard's Blade: Preliminary Notes

So I'm using my blog to keep my campaign concepts organized as they spill out of brain. Ignore or read at your pleasure.

The Bastard's Blade

A D&D Campaign

The Great Mother, progenitor of all Beholders, is said to see all and know all. No secret, no mystery escapes her countless all-seeing eyes. 

This is not so. He is left in darkness by her own hubris. In the vast depth of her perceptions, she believes she knows all. There is nothing left for her to learn. Such pride has left her blind.

Eons ago, one of her endless eyes gave birth to a horrid withering beast. Wretched and broken before it could escape malice of its creator, this thing was driven mad before being left to die by the Great Mother.

But even wretched and broken, such a creature is still the offspring of a god. Whether it wandered the planes searching for purpose or what cast into Faerun and left to die by the Great Mother is unknown - even to the all-seeing Great Mother.

In the age of Netheril, when high magic ruled the Forgotten Realms, Lord Spirius brought left blood and suffering in his wake - all in the name of some nameless, unknown power. His horrible atrocities have faded into myth and are recalled only as a byline in a scant few tomes of lore.

None know where Lord Spirius came from, how he rose to power, or how he was defeated. Only his name and that of his sword remain - Caedis, the Bastard's Blade.

Key Figures
Great Mother: Supreme Goddess of Beholders, wants to become truly all knowing, but is held back by her own arrogance.

Spirius: Bastard child of the Great Mother. Fled to Prime Material Plane and took mortal form to hide from his mother. Wanted to become all knowing in the hopes of overthrowing his mother and eventually using the gained knowledge to rule all the cosmos. Slain in the Netheril age, not truly dead - simply lost his mortal form. Has remained hidden in a demi-plane, trying to get back to his sword and its thousands of years of acquired knowledge (see below).

Caedis: The campaign MacGuffin. Crafted by warlords in the service of Spirius' army: the Illuminated Knights. The Knights were skilled magical artisans, and a cabal of their senior members crafted the sword - one from every full blooded PC race from the PHB (Dragonborn, Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Halfling, Human, Tiefling, etc) to capture a fragment of their knowledge in the sword. Each time someone is slain by the sword, the blade takes their knowledge into itself.
Caedis is an artifact of extraordinary power. Unfortunately, all that knowledge can't be contained by a mortal and if a mortal wields it long enough they eventually go insane from all the info in their mind.

The Illuminated Order: A secret cult maintained by the bloodline of the Illuminated Knights who have remained hidden for thousands of years, searching for Caedis. Have they found the sword yet? Is the sword broken? Venerates and allies with Beholders and Beholder-kin, believing Spirius will return as one of these types of creatures.

Connections to Modules
Lost Mines of Phandelver: Dwarf brothers secretly members of the Illuminated Order? Magical forge used in creation of Caedis? Spectator monster a servant of the cult or spy for the Great Mother? Green Dragon spying on the would-be cultists?

Curse of Strahd: Spirius hidden/trapped in Barovia? Strahd hoping to harness Caedis to break his curse?

Lord Spirius?

A Fate Worse than Character Death

If you play tabletop roleplaying games long enough, your character is going to die. If you're lucky, you'll have an awesome, memorable, fitting, or and even heroic death. If you're not lucky, the dice will shit on you till you choke on it and then leave your battered, stinking corpse for the carrion birds. 

But you know what? That's OK. It's part of the game. Most gamers figure that out pretty quickly and learn to roll with dice punches. Some players become rather irate at character death, even outright pissed off or angry at the DM/GM/Judge/Dude Behind the Screen. Those players are not often the most fun to game with and you probably want to avoid them.

But you know what's worse than death at the table? Hold Person. Sleep. Imprisonment.

I've never seen players get more frustrated at a table than the moment when their character (and by extension them) are removed from the action completely and utterly. They can't move. They can't speak. They can't use any of their class abilities. 

And you know what? That shit genuinely sucks and those players have a right to be a bit pissed off. Not "swearing at the DM and throwing a fit at the table" pissed off, but more "passive-aggressive sigh" pissed off.

Why do these things piss players off so much, often more so than character death?

It boils down to one thing: Agency.

Players want to play. If their character dies, they can still roll up someone new and jump back in the action. But if they're locked by a Hold Person spell they have to just sit their and do nothing. The ideas start flowing, and the player starts to think about what they would do if they could participate. But they can't. They can't play the game. They're reduced to being a spectator.

What's worse is they're a spectator who invested time, effort, and in most cases, money in participating in the game - in being part of the action. The job of the DM is to allow that, encourage that, to facilitate participation. If the player and their character can't participate, then what's the point? I think some modules and adventures forget that, as do some DMs and even some players.

I'm not saying to never throw a Hold Person at your players - I'm saying don't chronically shackle your players - literally or figuratively. This is the reason I'm not a fan of adventures like Scourge of the Slave Lords or Out of the Abyss. They limit agency right off the bad. Players might feel screwed from the get-go. Always, always, always, make sure your players are able to play their characters, feel awesome, and make use of their abilities.

Another Optional LL: Save or Die Poisons

So I'm not a fan of "Save or Die" poisons, for two reasons.

1. Save or Die effects remove any player agency or chance to survive certain encounters and generally make a player feel arbitrarily hosed simply for one poor roll.
2. The number of poisons in the real world that kill you in a minute or less are extraordinarily rare. Granted, getting bitten by a spider the size of a pony will likely inject someone with enough poison to kill them, it's just odd for them to just drop dead on the spot.

Debbie is a fan of Save or Die Poisons

So, here's my house rule:

Save or Die Poisons: If my players fail their save to resist a "Save or Die" poison, then they're definitely going to die - but not instantly. They've got a number of turns equal to their Constitution score before death. While poisoned, they suffer a -2 penalty to all attack rolls, and -2 to all ability checks related to Strength and Dexterity.

That way they have (hopefully) at least an hour to solve the problem - whether that's lopping a limb off or rushing to find a cure - well, that's up to them.

Class Options Musings for Labyrinth Lord

As I continue prepping for next week's Labyrinth Lord campaign, I'm considering allowing a pair of classes outside of the AEC, simply to round out the "First Edition meets B/X" feel of the Advanced Edition Companion. But my concern is overwhelming my players with options and extra rules.


I really, really love +Richard LeBlanc  B/X Cavalier and B/X Bard, but am hemming and hauling about including them as options. Thoughts? Insights? Opinions?

Spicing Up My Fighters

So one of the problems I've always had with B/X and Labyrinth Lord fighters is that they're a touch dull. Their special abilities lay in their high hit points and diverse choices for weapons and armor. They're an awesome, sold class and ease to play. However, these benefits aren't particularly engaging at the table. So I'm adding an optional rule for fighters. Based a bit on the Rules Cyclopedia and a bit on AD&D, here are my thoughts.

• 1st Level: Fighters may select a single weapon as their specialized weapon. They recieve a +1 to all attack rolls and +2 to all damage rolls when wielding this weapon.
• 5th Level: The fighter may make two attacks per round when wielding the weapon in which they've specialized.
• 10th Level: The Fighter's bonus to hit with their specialized weapon increases to +3 and their damage bonus increases to +3 as well.

Creating the Geek Elite

I've always felt that there was this unspoken, yet universal, thing in geek and fanboy culture: Geek Cred. You don't just own a lightsaber toy - you own a $1000 replica of Luke Skywalker's lightsaber from The Empire Strikes Back. You don't just own a copy of Deities & Demigods, you own a first print copy with the Moorcock and Mythos stats in it - oh, and it's signed by Gary Gygax. It's like this weird race that somehow reflects one somehow being a "better" fan because they own rare or expensive products.

I get it. I've been caught up in it. I'm not judging it. If you're having fun chasing down rare collectibles or expensive replicas then rock on. But as "geek culture" becomes more and more mainstream, I've noticed something beginning to happen. Items typically associated with Geek Cred are being produced with more and more regularity. I think this is an intentional action on the part of the companies that produce these high end items. The products probably cost far, far less than their sometimes ridiculous price tags and this means that the producers only need to sell a fraction of such items (when compared to more standard items) to reap a profit.

Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice allowed movie-goers to buy an "Ultimate Ticket" for a mere $100. Monte Cook has successfully kickstarted Invisible Sun, an RPG with a minimum $200 buy in. New Line Cinema has just released an edition of the Extended Editions of both the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy with a price tag a penny under $800. 

All this can be yours if you skip your mortgage payment this month.

And people will buy it. Maybe you won't. Maybe you will. But companies wouldn't sell these things if they didn't think it would turn a profit. I can't help but think that with so many traditionally geeky things going mainstream, that the market isn't tapping into that and trying to create a "geek elite" kind of subculture. As if the measure of how cool a geek you are is somehow measured in a price tag.

Or maybe I'm over analyzing things. Either way, I've got my limits and while some of these types of items are cool in and of themselves, I'm a man with responsibilities and financial obligations, so I don't have nearly a thousand dollars to drop on a set of movies with a few knick-knacks and extras included in the package. But, if you do, then more power to you. Have a blast and enjoy your high end purchases - just remember, it doesn't make you somehow cooler or a more dedicated fan of your hobby or interest simply because you've got more disposable income.

Half-Elves in Labyrinth Lord

Labyrinth Lord Revised does not include rules for half-elf player characters. I understand why, given the game's streamlined nature. However, I personally really like half-elves being a viable option at the gaming table and while I wrote a Half-Elf class for Labyrinth Lord years ago, I had an idea to change things up to help diversify things a touch. Half-elves are known for the their range of abilities and potential in many different professions, so I tried to capture that in a very simple fashion.  It's really simple. Want to play a half-elf? Awesome. Here's how it works:

HALF-ELVES

• Half-elves select a class at character creation. They may select Cleric, Fighter, Magic-User, or Thief. They may only reach 15th level in their selected class.
• Half-elves have infravision at a range of 30 feet.
• Half-elves receive a +2 to all saving throws made to resist ghoul paralysis.
• Half-elves can speak their alignment language, common, elvish, and orc.

That's it. Yes, it's a bit of race-and-class, but it's super simple and don't see it getting in the way of Labyrinth Lord's quick-and-easy style of play.

Brave the Labyrinth is Back!

BRAVE THE LABYRINTH IS BACK!

Small Niche Games and Barrel Rider Games have joined forces to announce the return of Brave the Labyrinth, the Labyrinth Lord™ OSR magazine! We're looking for submissions!

Brave the Labyrinth is a magazine published by Small Niche Games for the Labyrinth Lord™ roleplaying game community. It consists of fan-created material designed to cover all types of Labyrinth Lord™ and Advanced Edition Companion™ gaming.

Submission Deadline
Brave the Labyrinth is now accepting submissions for its fourth issue. The submission period for Issue #6 ends on October 1st. Any material submitted after this date will be considered for Issue #7.

Submission Guidelines
The following are the submission guidelines for the Brave the Labyrinth fanzine. Please read these guidelines carefully. If you have any questions, email smallnichegames -AT- gmail -DOT- com.

What We Want
New Classes: At least one new class or race/class complete with special abilities (if any), saving throw table, weapon/armor restriction, and detailed description of how and where they fit into the typical fantasy campaign world.
New Races: At least one new playable character race, complete with special abilities (if any), saving throw table, weapon/armor restriction, and detailed description of how and where they fit into the typical fantasy campaign world. This submission should be compatible with the Advanced Edition Companion™.
New Weapons and Equipment: At least five new weapons or pieces of equipment not found in any of the Labyrinth Lord™ core rulebooks. If exotic weapons (katanas, falchions, boomerangs) are submitted, we ask the author to stick a specific theme (Far Eastern, Middle Eastern, etc.).
New Magic Items: At least five new magic items not found in any of the Labyrinth Lord™ core rulebooks. Added background information on who and why the items were created is always a plus.
New Spells: At least five new spells not found in any of the Labyrinth Lord™ core rulebooks. Added background information on who and why the spells were created is always a plus.
New Monsters: At least three new monsters not found in any of the Labyrinth Lord™ core rulebooks. The monsters should be fully statted out and described using the same format found in the core rulebooks.
Optional Rules: Submit a house rule or two used in your game or a game that you've played. Tell us what the rule is, what rule it replaces, and the issues you had with the original rule that forced you to make the change.
Short Fiction: Brave the Labyrinth will occasionally publish fan-created short stories. These stories should be compatible with the medieval fantasy nature of Labyrinth Lord™ and comply with all Brave the Labyrinth submission guidelines.
Artwork and Maps: Any fantasy medieval artwork and any medieval-style maps (castles, dungeons, taverns, cave systems, etc.). Whether you're a professional artist or just like to doodle, show us what you can do.
Cartoons: 1-3 panel cartoons showcasing something amusing about the game we love. No serials at this time.
Locales: A shop, home, cave, ruin, or any other location that can be easily dropped into any settings. Submissions should contain a simple map, statted NPCs/monsters, and at least three adventure hooks.
Adventures: An adventure can be a dungeon, series or wilderness encounters, a trek through a city, or anything else the author desires. we're looking for 5 - 10 page adventures that can be easily dropped into any setting.
Anything Else: Did we miss something? If so, send us an email with your idea and if it's Labyrinth Lord™ related, we'll consider it!

What We Don’t Want
Brave the Labyrinth is a PG-13 publication so graphic depictions of sex and/or violence will not be accepted. Content that is felt to glorify or promote hatred against a specific (real world) gender, (real world) race, or (real world) culture will not be accepted. Pretty much anything else is open for submission, though.

Rights
Any content submitted to Brave the Labyrinth is assumed to be an original creation submitted by the sole author. Brave the Labyrinth accepts reprints for consideration, but prefers previously unpublished content. Small Niche Games retains the right to publish accepted content for any future issue of Brave the Labyrinth, including Best Of's and Anthologies. The author retains all copyright to his or her own work, but is asked not to publish submitted content (if applicable) until one month after that issue of Brave the Labyrinth is released.

Stat Blocks
The following stat blocks should be used for all monster and NPC entries. The first stat is a template; the second stat is an example of it in use.

Monster
Monster Name: AL ; MV (); AC ; HD ; hp ; ‪#‎AT‬ ; Dmg ; SA ; SV ; ML ; XP .
Giant Spider: AL N; MV 60' (20')/web 120' (40'); AC 6; HD 3; hp 16; #AT 1; Dmg 2d6 (mandible) + special; SA poison; SV F2; ML 8; XP 80.

NPC
NPC: AL ; MV (); AC ; Class/Level ; hp ; #AT ; Dmg ; S , D , C , I , W , Ch ; SV ; SA ; ML ; XP ; magic items (if any), equipment (if any), wealth (if any).
Drumas Long: AL N; MV 120' (40'); AC 7 or 6 (unarmored or leather armor); T5; hp 16; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6+1 (short sword + Str), 1d4+1 (dagger + Str); S 13, D 17, C 13, I 15, W 13, Ch 12; SV T5; SA backstab, thief skills; ML 8; XP 800; pick locks 35%, find/remove traps 33%, pick pockets 40%, move silently 40%, climb walls 91%, hide in shadows 30%, hear noise 1-3; potion of poison, potion of healing, thieves' tools, 27 gp, 34 sp, 13 cp.

Open Game Content (OGC)
Brave the Labyrinth will comply with the terms of the Open Game License. All stat blocks for any submission will be considered OGC. The individual author of each submission may designate which other items are OGC (if any) and which are Product Identity.

Compensation
Brave the Labyrinth depends heavily on fan contributions. The PDF of Issue #6 will be offered as a free download. The author of accepted content receives a free print copy of the issue, to be delivered within one month of the issue's publication.

Amateurs
If you've never been published before, chances are you've been gaming for years, and you can't roleplay for that long without coming up with some cool ideas. So take some time, jot some of those ideas down, and send them in. Who knows? You might get a call from a big-time publisher. You gotta start somewhere! :-)

Publishers
RPG publishers are encouraged to submit. Publishers whose content is accepted to Brave the Labyrinth may send one 1/2 page ad per issue to be placed in the back of the magazine. As the free fanzine will most likely be downloaded by hundreds, if not thousands of gamers, this is a great way to get some free publicity for your campaign setting, new products, and/or your company.

How to Submit
Submit content to smallnichegames -AT- gmail -DOT- com in the body of the email (preferred) or as a rich text document. Place [BtL Submission] followed by the title of your submission in the subject line of the email.

Issue #6Issue #6 is currently scheduled for publication in the fourth quarter of 2016. We look forward to seeing your submissions!

Movers and Shakers: The Living Campaign

I always aspire to run a "living" campaign. No, not those official things like Living Greyhawk or Living Dragonstar from back in the heyday of D&D 3.X, but a persistent world where things continue to happen around the PCs that have little, if anything, to do with them. It helps make the setting feel a bit more alive.

Recently, I've been pondering how to insert some of these living elements into my upcoming Labyrinth Lord campaign. Given that the bulk of the campaign will be based out of Dolmvay, I've got a great urban landscape full of NPCs to work with. So what do I do? I go and make my own. Why? Because apparently I like making work for myself.

So Dolmvay has a city-within-a-city. Valeron, the seat of power for the Church of Law & Order. It's very Vatican City. I thought about having some political trouble brewing within the city. Recently, rumors have begun to spring up that there is a high-end brothel in the city that I'm currently calling "The Garden." This establishment is lead by a madame who is said to be the most charming, intelligent, and beautiful woman in the city. She's also very rich and no one seems to know a damn thing about who she really is or where she came from. I'll call her Eve, for now.

Truth be told, she's a Medusa. But no one knows it because she walks around openly and appears for all intents and purposes to be a graceful courtesan in her late twenties. How does a medusa achieve this? She's wearing a magic ring (or other such item) that projects an illusion over her true form. She and her two sisters recruit woman from across the city. They're well treated, but told only to take on merchants, traders, and the middle class as their clients.

Eve and her sisters - Lilith and Jezebel - are the only ones allowed to take noble clients. Of course they also take clergymen in secret, which is part of why the Church is trying to drive them out. What's more, the Three Maidens (as they're called by the locals) are known for giving large amounts of wealth to the poor and wretched of the city.

The only clue to the Eve's terrible truth is the magnificent statue garden she keeps at the heart of her establishment. But these statues are frozen in poses of ecstasy or grace - not horrified. The Three Maidens are trying to establish a bloodless coup in the city. By keeping in the good graces of the poor (who are often ignored by those with money), they are able to learn the secrets that the ignored and abandoned often overhear. By having those they take into their house serve the middle class they get keep tabs on the economy of the city and its trade deals - both secret and public. By servicing nobles and clergy, the ladies will undoubtedly learn secrets from idol pillow talk.

When the time comes, Eve will strike. Using her gathered secrets and the will of the people, she can sow the seeds of revolt against the church and even potentially convince people that Dolmvay needs new political and religious leadership. She can then install those she controls in positions of power, and eventually overthrow the entire church.

But why? Well, you see according to Greek myth, the original Medusa lived in a foul cave. So I decide that the Three Maidens are actually the last three Meduae in the world and part of a cult which worships the Lady Serpent - an ancient evil goddess . The last temple to the Lady Serpent is in ruins, beneath the sewers of Dolmvay. Why is it there? Because it is said the Lady Serpent slumbers at the base of the Dolm River and when she awakens, she will claim those who would cast snakes into the sea. They shall be taken into her maw, and devoured forever - leaving only those loyal to her. And the serpents shall rule the world, as they once did before the coming of Man.

No blood shed. No massive combat. Just rumors, news, and hints of political strife threading through the campaign. Now, if my players start pulling on that thread things will get interesting, but in the mean time they can come and go freely from the city as they adventure across the land. Meanwhile, the city of Dolmvay becomes wrapped ever-tighter in the serpent's coil.

NPC Classes

So continuing my campaign planning, I was going to put together a party of NPCs to serve as drop-in adversaries to challenge my player characters. Now, given that I'm running Labyrinth Lord, my class choices are (by the book) both limited and predictable.

I got to thinking about how to spice things up and I recalled back in some of the old issues of Dragon that we often saw write-ups on NPC classes. Death Master, Archer (and Arch-Ranger), Thug, etc. Back then, I took the very player-centric and entitled stance of "That's not fair! I should be able to play an Arch-Ranger too, if I want."

Now, in my older and more treacherous years, I'm feeling quite different. By having NPC classes, it allows me to throw something new at my player characters while they hold fast to the fantasy archetypes of the genre. I'm not saying every single NPC or adversary needs to be something special, but spice it up on occasion.

So, I'm going to build a team of mercenaries and bounty hunters. They'll be neutral and chaotic in alignment, hired by whatever evil organization happens to fit based on how the campaign goes. Being bounty hunters, I'll include a ranger - which is convenient, since Labyrinth Lord doesn't appear to restrict ranger alignment according to the AEC. Add in a fighter or two, and maybe a thief and I've got a nice simple threat. But the leader of this unnamed band of thugs? Well, for that I'm going to go with +Jason Paul McCartan's Murderhobo - probably the Low Templar variant. Maybe he's a former Paladin who got kicked out of the Church of Law and Order. On the surface, he'll seem like another martial goon, but he'll have a collection of talents and abilities which will help me as the DM adapt to the inevitable clever plans my PCs will devise.

Does this mean I'll be allowing Murderhobos as PCs? Heck no! Other classes outside the AEC? Surely not! But the important thing is that it presents a fresh, but fair, challenge to my player characters and creates an engaging game for them.

Besides, it's always fun to have someone in a campaign that the players love to hate. For bonus points, maybe I'll introduce the Murderhobo early on as McCartan's new class: the Hench. This Hench will likely be someone the player characters hire early in their career and use as a meat shield. After leaving him for dead, the Hench becomes a Murderhobo who takes particular pleasure in his newest bounty...

Building a Campaign Web

So I don't have the prep time I did back in the day. This can make running games a bit tougher than it used to be. To that end, I've come to enjoy modules more and more these days. I've got quite the collection of B/X and LL modules and eagerly add to it on a regular basis.

I always like to open my Labyrinth Lord games with the module Larm. It's a good sandbox adventure with a handful of mini-quests that aren't too deadly for first level PCs. As I thought about how to build on it, I thought of a few other low-level modules I own that I might seed within spitting distance of the village. After some thought I decided to also add Hall of the Mountain King to the rumors and hints around the village of Larm. It'll give the PCs a solid dungeon crawl. I can even tie it to the goblin camp bothering the village by saying they're lead by the mysterious "Mountain King" to create a multi-layered experience.

So now my players spend a few levels running around the village running errands. While they're away on one of these errands, I can tell them that several NPCs arrived in the village while they were off being heroes. One of these is a group of travelers going down the Dolm River to Dolmvay. This allows me to use Dolm River. Another of these NPCs is going to pick up and escort someone back to the city of Dolmvay from a keep far out in the wilderness. This keep is, of course the Keep on the Borderlands. After helping the Keep they PCs can escort the NPCs back to Dolmvay, but learn of their secret past via Kingmaker.

Once they arrive in Dolmvay, they can find assignments from the Adventurer's Guild - which will actively attempt to recruit them, having heard of their exploits in the adventures listed above. Perhaps they get tasked to investigate the events surround Oak Grove Whispers. Or maybe the Church of Law and Order heard how soundly they dealt temple in Larm, and asks them to investigate the Shrine of St. Aleena. Along the way to any of the adventures mentioned above, they might end up staying for a rather troublesome night at the Inn of Lost Heroes.

Holy crap. I think I just organized three months of a campaign with almost no effort. Go me.

The Return (kinda) of Thunder Rift!

Much to my surprise, when I logged into RPGNow this morning I saw that Wizards of the Coast has uploaded the classic Thunder Rift. This amazing little sandbox is one of my all time favorite B/X or BECMI D&D supplements ever released.

They've got the PDF available for $4.99. They've also got Assault on Raven's Ruin for the same price. Hopefully Quest for the Silver Sword and the other products in this line are coming soon.

Invisible Sun Kickstarter Musings

So, everyone's got something to say about Monte Cook Games' latest Kickstarter: Invisible Sun. The most common "something to say" seems to be: "Holy shit that's expensive! What in Great Gygax's Beard is he thinking?"

From what I can gather Invisible Sun is a kind of singular stand alone RPG that uses props, hand outs, some element of real time, and direct contact with the game creators in an evolving metaplot. Based on the video, it claims to overcome real life problems that prevent game play - conflicting schedules, play style differences, and absent players. That's quite a bold claim - and it doesn't quite feel like it's possible. Real life is real life, and with a promise like that I feel like Cook is implicitly claiming to blur the line between real life and RPGs.

The rest of the video makes such vague statements as "If you like characters, you'll love Invisible Sun." As if we were going to say "No, Monte - I hate characters." The whole thing feels like MCG is taking their own stab at a Mage: The Ascension style game - but adding a whole lot of extras and props. I love props and high production value as much as the next gamer, but the Invisible Sun feels like it's making vague promises and trying way too hard to come off as a game that will revolutionize and forever change the hobby.

I have to admit, it's ambitious. I'd be lying if I didn't also think it was a little arrogant. With a minimum buy in of $200, Invisible Sun isn't for the casual gamer. It's that very price point that I believe will prevent the game from changing the hobby. It prevents mass involvement in something revolutionary and new. The last game which I recall that truly changed the face of the hobby was Vampire: The Masquerade. It did this by tapping into a new market - goths and punks. It took gaming out of the dungeon and didn't measure a session in combat rounds. This made it approachable to a new subculture and, in my mind, also gave the game more feminine appeal.

Do I think the price point is ridiculous? Actually, no. If you're a devotee of Cook and you've got faith in the guy then a $200 buy in isn't all that bad. To me it's no different than +Greg Gillespie's Kickstarter for Barrowmaze: The Forbidden Caverns of Archaia. Greg's asking about $75 USD for a hardcover megadungeon. Like Cook's crowd funding project, it's a bit pricey. But I happen to have every faith that Greg will create a product worth every penny, so I have no problem with his asking price. Cook should be treated no differently simply because I prefer OSR games.

However, claims that Invisible Sun will somehow change the very way roleplaying games are played smacks of hubris in my mind. But, if fans of Cook have got the faith (and the cash) to invest in Invisible Sun - and judging by the fact that the game's almost funded in less than eight hours, they do) - then by all means, let them enjoy their investment.

Exploring the Labyrinth Format

The format for the Exploring the Labyrinth segment of the blog will be broken down into a few categories, which I'll detail below.

Adventurers Wanted: Initial impressions. How the product looks on an initial "flip through." Cursory evaluation of cover art, layout, and interior art.

You Meet in a Tavern: General feel and style of a product, or plot of a module. Discussion of any thematic elements that run through the whole product, as well as tone and impressions that come from any subtext within the product. This will also include the general premise of the product, including the story hook for modules.

Check for Traps: A discussion of locations featured in the product. Cities, dungeons, combat encounter set pieces. This will include discussing how clearly they're presented and clever or original locations not commonly seen in a product.

Roll for Initiative: Talking about combat encounters featured in the product. This will include the level of challenge presented to players, as well as dicussion of any special combat scenarios such as air borne or siege combat.

Loot the Body: This section will highlight any unique magic items feaured in the product, discussing their originality, balance, and table use.

Sell it to the City: Integrating the product into an existing campaign and how to implement the product at the table. This will also include how using the product might change the nature of your gaming experience.

Level Up: Final thoughts on the product including my own opinion, as well as links to where the product can be purchased.

Finally, I've decided that the first product to be featured in Exploring the Labyrinth will be Faster Monkey Games' In the Shadow of Mount Rotten! This unique supplement by Joel Sparks allows player characters to take on the role of monstrous creatures, provides a large location overview, and a plethora of new rules, spells, and equipment.

A (sort of) New Segment for the Blog

So, to help bolster the love for Labyrinth Lord, I've decided to do a regular segment on this blog called Exploring the Labyrinth. Each week on the blog, I'm going to review and discuss one Labyrinth Lord product, whether official, or third party. I'm going to post them on Sunday evenings. 

That's where I need the community's help. I want this to be an interactive experience. So, with each weekly post, I'm going to end by asking that the OSR community select which product I should review next. I've already reviewed several LL products here, so anything that'ts already been reviewed it ineligible.

I want to get folks excited about LL again, and I love talking about releases. We're all just fans, after all. So - which product should I start with, my friends?

Marking a Murderhobo

Murderhobo (noun): The typical protagonist of a fantasy role-playing game, who is a homeless guy who goes around killing people and taking their stuff. The term originated in discussions of tabletop role-playing games by authors seeking to create games aimed at styles of play not supported by traditional games like Dungeons & Dragons.

-Urban Dictionary

So I was a bit bored today and decided to take a poke at writing some optional rules that allow a DM/GM to implement reputation rules in their campaign. While implicitly written for OSR games and specifically for use with Guidebook to the City of Dolmvay, they're pretty universal and could be used for any RPG.

But it got me thinking: When player characters decide to be a bunch of mercenary murderhobos, does reputation matter at all to them? Do they really give a crap if everywhere they go they're reviled and feared? Heck, some might even like that. I've played with enough gamers over the past 30 years to know that the answer is: not if they're set on playing a murderhobo.

So, this lead me to think about how you stop the whole "murderhobo" thing. Is it even possible? If you have a player whose dead set on playing a homicidal tomb robber who gives no shits, is there an "in game" solution, or a rule that can prevent them from playing such a character?

In the end, I think the answer is "no." Players are going to do what they want to do, no matter what the rules say. However, I think the answer to the whole murderhobo problem is to be up front as a DM/GM about what your expectations are for the campaign and hope your players are honest about what they enjoy in a game. Strong communication can prevent the problem before it ever happens. Often there's a murderhobo compromise, which I call "Our Bastard." I did an entire post on playing "Our Bastard." But that still requires compromise and concesion on the parts of everyone involved.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that being a vile bastard is an invalid style of play. It's as valid as the knight in shining armor, the primarily self-serving mercenary, or anything in between. I do, however, find that running a game with a party full of murderhobos to be really difficult as they can't be motivated by any sense of doing the right thing, and doing the right thing is the implied action taken by the PCs in most adventures. Often it can be very difficult to run on-going campaigns for such characters, as they leave untold destruction in their path and, with enough power and low cunning, most traditional threats become null and void. And I find almost no enjoyment in it as a DM/GM. If you want to go on a bloody rampage, there are plenty of video games that'll let you scratch that itch.


Note: If you want an interesting take on Murderhobos, check on +Jason Paul McCartan's The Murderhobo. It's a Pay-What-You-Want class for Labyrinth Lord and B/X style games. It's got some nice variants to it. That being said, even the author recommends against using it for player characters. However, I think it's a great NPC class for villains and adversaries.

Back to Basics

Whenever I start running a campaign, I inevitably begin planning the next campaign I'm going to run. I think given my previous post, it's time to dip back into Labyrinth Lord after being away from the game for several years.

I've dusted off my plethora of old LL modules - Larm, Dolm River, Fortress of the Mountain King, Return of the Mountain King, The Shrine of Saint Aleena, Bad Moon Rising, Stealer of Children, Inn of Lost Heroes, and (of course) Barrowmaze. I'm going to be setting in in Amherth, using +Pete Spahn's Chronicles of Amherth, Guidebook to the City of Dolmvay, and Guidebook to the Duchy of Valnwall. I figure that'll give me more than enough material for a campaign to last quite a bit of time.

After long debate with myself, I'm going to use the Advanced Edition Companion, except I'm going to keep race-as-class - I feel that this reflects the unique and frankly inhuman nature of non-human characters. I also plan on keeping standard LL's basic ability score modifiers, with one exception noted below. Like any good DM, I'm going to be tinkering with the rules.

I'm going to implement the following changes:
Elves may choose at first level whether to be Wood Elves or High Elves. High Elves function exactly as written in the Labyrinth Lord rules. Wood Elves cast spells from the Druid Spell list, are prohibited from wearing any armor heavier than Studded Leather, with the exception of Elfin Chain. Wood Elves may also remain hidden in wilderness environments on a 1-5 on 1d6.

I don't recall any of the Amherth books making mention of the Illusionist class from the AEC. Also, there's no Bard in LL. I'm addressing both these things in one fell swoop. Illusionists, in my campaign, are typically "peasant magicians," and regarded with a touch of contempt by traditional Magic-Users. They learn spells by sharing information with one another, through study and travel. Because of their curiosity, Illusionists can use the Bard-like "Legend Lore" ability to know local legends or the history (though not necessarily the specific magical properties) of a magic item. I'll start this ability at 15%, increasing it by +4% per level.

Thieves receive +5% to all thief skills per +1 modifier of their Dexterity - with the exception of Hear Noise, which has no modifier. This should help increase the longevity of the typically fragile class.

Characters will be created by rolling 4d6, dropping the lowest die and adding the remainder. Distribute as my players want. Everyone gets 3d6 x 10 for Starting Gold. I'll also have each of them select a Secondary Skill from the AEC.

Now, as far as what I'll run - my basic premise is that all of the characters have either arrived in, or are local residents of Larm. They're on their way to Dolmvay to join the Adventurer's Guild. I can run Larm and Dolm River to get them to the city of Dolmvay. From there, I've got all manner of options. The Church of Law and Order can ask them to investigate the Shrine of St. Aleena, or they might hear rumors of a swampy territory on the edge of the Ghoul Lands where I'll place Barrowmaze.

Some good, old-fashioned, simple RPGing. The only question remains - should I run it for my local group, or do it as a Roll20 game?

Ebb and Flow in the OSR

So, I was pondering gaming while at the day job. Shocker, I know. I got to thinking about the few books that have survived my numerous book reductions. I found myself very, very satisfied, regretting almost none of the products I sent to new homes - except for one game line.

Labyrinth Lord.

This game was my gateway into the OSR and I produced almost 100 products for Labyrinth Lord before working in Swords & Wizardry White Box. I felt my affection for Labyrinth Lord begin to rekindle. Like a childhood love, it was a gentle kind of memory and I remembered how much I really love the game. I regretted letting go of my LL stuff, especially +Pete Spahn's wonderful products. I wanted them back.

It got me thinking about why I have moved away from LL. It was purely pragmatic, to be honest. My sales had dwindled over the years. I released White Box stuff to test a new market and after finding success there, I went on to launch my own line with White Star. I'm still very excited by White Star and have many products planned for the future.

But what happened to Labyrinth Lord? Has it faded from popularity in the OSR? I don't see LL products breaking the top ten on RPGNow very often, nor do I see new releases very often. Why? It's a fantastic game with endless third party products to support the line. I'd really like to see the vitality of a few years ago return to LL.

Maybe I'll work on a few products for my first love. It's the least I can do.

Review: Feng Shui 2

I'm a fan of action flicks. That being said, I'm also a bit picky. I want my action flicks to have style. I think most Arnold Schwarzenegger films to be a bit... bland. Instead, give me Big Trouble in Little China, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Kill Bill. Heck, my daughter is named in part for the protagonist of the latter film. Though, admittedly, I have a childhood soft spot for The Karate Kid. So, in the early 2000s when I saw a game called Feng Shui on the shelves of one +Kirt Dankmyer, I immediately gravitated towards the book. An RPG based off Hong Kong Action Cinema? Granted, at that point I'd never seen an HK action flick, I was still drawn into the book instantly. I asked Kirt to run a game of it, which he kindly did. I still remember the angry hockey playing Street Kid and how no one else in the party would let him get his hands on a gun. He was... a bit aggressive.

Fast forward over a decade and Robin D. Laws and Atlas Games announces Feng Shui 2. I hadn't the funds at the time to back the Kickstarter to fund the game. Well, recently I got to sit down and give the PDF a good read to see what's changed between the original game and its newest incarnation. In short, not much.

Feng Shui 2 picks up right where the original and clings closely to the original. The 2d6-based system remains. The mechanics are simple. One of the dice acts as a positive modifier, the other as a negative, giving you a stretch between +5 and -5. This modifier is added to a character's base skill. If the total is equal to or over the target number, the action is a success. Base difficulty for most tasks is between 7 and 9.

Here's where Feng Shui 2's rules start to show. Player characters begin at an incredibly competent level of ability. All characters have one of three skills to determine what their style of fighting is: Martial Arts, Guns, and Sorcery. These titles are a bit misleading and have broad applications. Martial Arts covers all forms of melee combat, from karate, to bar brawling, to swordplay. Firearms covers ranged, from pistols, to bows, to thrown weapons. Sorcery is all forms of magic. At character creation, the character's method of mayhem starts at around 13. This means the character is among the most capable at this skill in the world. They can do larger than life, impossible things.

And that's the way it should be.

From there, Feng Shui 2 continues to revel in its own glorious absurdity. Characters drop nameless mooks in a single punch, they somehow survive shotgun blasts at point blank with minor wounds that are healed in the next scene, and they can run up a hail of bullets being fired at them to execute a flying spin kick at their opponent's face with absolute perfection. The game is built to be as fast as a flurry of blows from Bruce Lee himself, and twice as dangerous.

As if that weren't enough, all PCs have a pool of Fortune Points, which can add +1d6 to any roll. If the character's positive modifier die or Fortune die comes up a 6, they may re-roll and add that to their total. If their negative modifier comes up a 1, they re-roll that as well and apply it as a penalty. This inevitably leads to some amazing scenes on both ends of the spectrum.

How do you make such a monstrosity of glorious two-fisted action? It's simple. The game includes 45 templates that cover almost any conceivable action movie trope. Are you a Maverick Cop on the raggedy edge? What about a dark and stealthy Ninja? Perhaps you're an Everyday Hero caught up in grander events. Hell, you might even be a Transformed Dragon, bound in human form. After picking your template, you decide on a Melodramatic Hook. These are as cheesy and over-the-top as everything else in this game. Maybe you have amnesia and are trying to reconstruct the details of your old life. Perhaps you've got a slow acting poison in your veins and need to find the cure. Of course there's always the classic - you've sworn vengeance for the death of your spouse/child/parent/sibling/dog/whatever and nothing will stop you. Now, come up with a cool name and a cool catch phrase. You're good to go in five minutes.

Characters are presumed to be living in Hong Kong and acting as agents in the Chi War. The Chi War is an epic battle across time for control of the past, present, and future of Earth, Humanity and the awesome magical power of Chi. The game is implicitly designed to be begin in the modern era and move between ancient China, Victorian Era China, and a post apocalyptic future where cybernetic apes rule the show after 97% of humanity has been wiped out. (See? I told you it gets pretty absurd - but what's not to love about cyber-monkeys with a grudge?)

When a campaign begins, the GM typically describes a scene (presumably in Hong Kong), where all the characters are present. What happens? A fight breaks out of course. Maybe Triad assassins attack a local resturaunt where they're all eating, ninjas attack a during a crowded parade, or a group of street thugs start a riot - whatever works. The players then tell the GM why their characters get involved - typically in a way that ties to their Melodramatic Hook. "These ninjas seem familiar! A piece of memory comes back in a flash and I remember seeing ninjas on a rainy, moonlit night." "My partner was a good man, and a good cop. I know the Triads had him killed and paid off the department to turn a blind eye." "My son fell in with these street thugs, and I'm going to find their leader and get him back!"

This instantly unites the PCs and kicks the game off with a bang. Players have Schticks, which are special abilities tied to their template and preferred style of combat or template. So, for example, the Everyday Hero gets bonuses with improvised weapons and can actually recover Fortune Points if they fail enough. Theme is king in Feng Shui 2. 

Because the game's default setting is Hong Kong, the came assumes players will be making characters native to that city. I found this refreshing for an implicitly modern era setting, where most default settings are the U.S. or English-speaking European countries. Hong Kong's cosmopolitan nature makes it the perfect gateway to an exotic realm while still holding to elements and accents western gamers will find familiar.

So the real question is this: Does Feng Shui 2 live up to the hype? Is there as much high octane awesomeness as promised on the cover?

Yes... mostly. Because it clings so hard to the conventions of its predicessor, Feng Shui 2 feels a bit like a game that came out of the 1990s, with a blend of light crunchy and strong story elements that sometimes come off as a bit clunky when first implemented. The game's narrative control elements and character agency aren't as evolved as FATE or Dungeon World. That's not a bad thing, necessarily - but it does stand out when compared to other games that encourage collaborative narration. This might prevent players who are new to the game or haven't been in the hobby for too long from being able to leap in with both fists flying right off the bat.

That being said, Feng Shui 2 is a fantastic game. For $50 (or $20 for the PDF via RPGNow or DriveThru RPG), you get a 350 pages of full color glory with thematic art sprinkled liberally through out. For players who want high action that's got a touch of crunch, but still flows well, this game is a fantastic choice. It might even be useful as a transitionary game if you're looking to eventually introduce more traditional gamers to newer RPGs with strong story and narrative control elements. So, grab your Exorcist Monk or Full Metal Nutball, and get ready - you've been drafted into the Chi War! It's time to kick butt, blow things up, and save the world!