Advanced Labyrinth Lord Cover Image Released

I have a special place in my heart for Labyrinth Lord. It was the game that introduced me to the OSR and it emulates the RPG I fell in love with as a young man. It was the game that turned my local group onto the OSR after years of D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder. I just can't express my affection for this cornerstone of our little community.

For years, Dan Proctor has hinted at one day combining Labyrinth Lord Revised and Advanced Edition Companion into a single glorious tome. Well, if you've been following the forums over on Goblinoid Games or their Facebook community, you know that this fated day is soon to arrive.

Dan Proctor released the cover for Advanced Labyrinth Lord with original art by Joshua Stewart. I'm sold already. The Orcus looming over a trio of adventures as they face off against the Demon Prince while surrounded by a host of undead warriors -- how awesome is that?

Mr. Proctor has already said that he'll be funding Advanced Labyrinth Lord via a Kickstarter which will launch in late November or early December of this year. It will feature some new art, as well as several pieces from the original LL and AEC. I'll be glad to plunk down a few dollars to get my grubby little mitts on what will undoubtedly become my favorite incarnation of Labyrinth Lord to date. So if you'll pardon me, I'll be in the corner fanboying.

Keep on the Borderlands: Game of Thrones Edition

So I started running the classic B2: Keep on the Borderlands using Labyrinth Lord last night. We had two players absent, so were down to three. A nature-worshiping cleric named Bjeorn and his war dog Fenris, a crude dwarf named Stonefuch, and a wily Magic-User named Castian.

They came up to the Keep, made their entry and began poking around the outer keep for news and adventure hooks. It wasn't long before they tried to get an audience w/ Baron Castilleian, Lord of the Keep. They were given a cold shoulder by the guard, who said he'd pass on their request for an audience. The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring the outer keep.

At the chapel they encountered the Curate, Brother Cort of the Cudgel. He is a robust, but zealous cleric of St. Cuthbert. Bjeorn was particularly interested in Cort and the faith of St. Cuthbert. Cort expressed to them his concerns about the nearby Caves of Chaos and that the Baron wouldn't risk his own men to deal with the growing threat.

At the Tavern and Traveller's Inn they hired the services of Hammish, a mute man-at-arms who was (by coincidence of random rolls) also a worshiper of Cuthbert, but no cleric. Hammish was a survivor of the dreaded Barrowmaze, a legendary tomb far, far away. He had been a non-beleiver and when a Cuthbertian saved his life and told him to never again blaspheme against the Cudgel, Hamish cut out his own tongue to show his conversion.

The PCs spent the rest of the evening negotiating with a pair of musicians, hoping to hire them as retainers - but that didn't really go anywhere, beyond good roleplaying. They retired for the evening at the Traveller's Inn - sleeping in the common room. Castian noticed one of the inn's residents was an elf and through good RP and reaction rolls, they traded spells - though the Elf got the better of the deal.

While Castian was doing that, Bjeorn wandered back to the chapel and after much discussion with Cort and asking about the Church of St. Cuthbert he actually converted to the faith - unbeknownst to the rest of the party.

Stonefuch and Castian continued to explore the keep, meeting with the Priest who lives in the large house inside the outer keep, whom I named on the fly Friar Duck. Duck claimed to be a worshipper of the God of Knowledge, and Castian immediately began to angle him to see if he had any magic-user scrolls. Duck did not, being a cleric, but did give Castian a book that would help him learn to speak and read/write Elvish.

As Bjeorn took oaths to St. Cuthbert, Stone and Cas learned the history of the Keep from Duck - the Baron was a weak man with Lizard Men threatening the keep to the south and the Caves of Chaos in the north. Duck believed he needed to be overthrown, and that Duck himself had even loaned the Baron 10,000 gold pieces to bolster the garrion several months ago - but other than hiring more troops the Baron had taken no action. Clearly, he needed to be replaced with a new Baron - a strong ruler, a wise ruler...

Cas and Stone were actually taken in by this and the three of them decided to go to the inner bailey and do just that. They were going to literally go commit a coup. Their plans were stymied when they saw Bjeorn exiting the chapel wearing the vestments of St. Cuthbert. They couldn't tell the newly Lawful Cleric they were going to overthrow the rightful ruler. So they told him they were going to go speak with the Baron and asked him to come along.

Duck, using his leverage from lending the Baron money, managed to talk their way into an audience. As the four of them, and two guards, sat in the Baron's chambers the PCs discovered a shocking revelation.

Baron Castellian was a 15 year old boy who had inherited the Keep after his father was assassinated 18 months ago. He was good intentioned, but indecisive and still mourning the loss of his father. He had no advisors and was burdened with indesision. But the Baron showed some steel in his spine. He told Duck, Cas, and Stone to leave before they could speak much, tired of Duck's machinations. Because the Baron trusted Cort, he allowed Bjeorn to stay and explained his situation to the Cudgelite. Bjeorn was clearly sympathetic and came out, and explained the truth of the situation to the party.

Cas and Stone immediately grew suspicious of Duck, who told them that he simply wanted a strong leader because if the Keep were attacked EVERYONE would die. It has a hard deed, but someone with strength needed to be in charge.

The PCs asked about the Lizard Men, who they knew nothing of. They learned the there is a loose agreement between Keep residents and the tribe. If the humans cross the river into the swamp the lizard men kill them, while if lizard men come north of the river they are slain by the humans. A harsh arrangement set forth by the Baron's father - but it has maintained a fragile peace.

The PCs get the idea that if they can somehow ally with the Lizard Men and get them to aid in defeating the Caves of Chaos, then two threats might be eliminated in one blow - but the Lizard Men are distrustful of humans and do not care for their affairs.

So as the session ends, the PCs are setting out to do some recon on the Caves and evaluate the threat, while Duck remains behind in the Keep to get a sense of how the locals feel about the whole affair.

The PCs are suspicious of Duck, of course - but have no idea he is a spy for the cultists in the Cave. Now as they head out to the Caves of Chaos (with Hamish in tow), Duck has sent messenger birds to the cultists in the Caves, and is considering traveling in secret to agitate the Lizard Men and break that easy peace - forcing the Baron to act (and hopefully fail), to make him look weak and position himself to take control of the Keep while the PCs are absent...

Not a single combat was had, but the entire session was tense and engaging for everyone at the table. The players love the intrigue and are invested in the moral complexity and the lives of the many NPCs they met. A fantastic opening session.

The B/X or Labyrinth Lord Gully Dwarf

Gully Dwarf

Requirements: CON 9, INT 8 or lower

Prime Requisite: DEX and CON

Hit Dice: 1d8

Maximum Level: 4

Gully Dwarves are a much maligned sub-race of dwarves known for their magnanimous stupidity and unbelievable ability to survive in even the worst environments. They are perpetually filthy, wearing rotted rags, eating garbage, and making their homes in places that even a goblin would find offensive. This combined with a surprising low cunning, means that Gully Dwarves possess a unique set of skills that can be of some use to an adventuring party - if that party can get past fact that these pathetic creatures are unrepentant cowards who fight only when pleading for mercy or escape are no longer an option.

In spite of this cowardice, Gully Dwarves are willing to use whatever is at hand to defend themselves if necessary. They can wield any one-handed melee weapon, but lack the intellect to learn the complexities of weapons like bows and crossbows. Because of this they may only used ranged weapons which can be thrown, such as daggers or javelins. They often wear layers of animal hides or cast off crow's mail to protect themselves and if provided with formal armor they can wear padded, leather, and studded leather armor. Their willingness to hide behind whatever is at hand to avoid injury also means they make regular use of shields.

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

Gully Dwarf Class Progression

Experience	Level	Hit Dice
0	1	1d8
2,187	2	2d8
4,375	3	3d8
8,751	4	4d8

Saving Throws

Level	Breath Weapon	Poison or Death	Petrify or Paralyze	Wands	Spells
1-3	13	4	10	9	12
4-6	10	2	8	7	10

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

Sharp Senses: Because they live in a state of constant fear of attack, Gully Dwarves have surprisingly keen senses. They can any secret doors and even any traps within thirty feet with a 1-4 on 1d6 chance of success. These sharp senses extend to a natural infravision, which they have at a range of sixty feet.

Hiding in a Hole: The first defense of any Gully Dwarf is to hide in the dark places of their foul realms. When moving at half their normal rate Gully Dwarves travel in perfect silence with a 1-3 on 1d6 chance of success. They can also remain completely unseen in underground environments if they remain perfectly still with a 1-3 on 1d6 chance of success. These abilities can be used in wilderness environments as well, but only have a 1 on 1d6 chance of success in those cases.

Plague Resistant: Because they constantly live in filth and regularly eat food others would consider a death sentence, Gully Dwarves have an extraordinary resistance to these things, as is reflected in their saving throws.

Unashamed Coward: Gully Dwarves are unabashed cowards, fleeing from even the slightest threat unless they have an overwhelming advantage. As such they have a -8 penalty to any saving throws made to resist fear effects such as those caused by Cause Fear spells or similar effects.

Surprising Ferocity: While often regarded as pathetic and non-threatening, Gully Dwarves the tenacity of a caged and abused animal if they are cornered. They receive a +2 bonus to all attack and damage rolls when forced to fight against a foe who has twice the number of hit dice than the Gully Dwarf.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Shields in D&D and Retro-Clones

In fantasy RPGs the shield is almost as iconic as the sword. The image of a hero raising his shield to protect themselves is something that breaks genre, regardless of how feasible the actual use of a shield in combat seems to be. From the medieval knight the modern superhero to the sci-fi soldier, they're an intrinsic part of the mythic symbolism that is at the root of fantasy roleplaying.

Plus, they make you look so bad ass.

Shields are a key part of a warrior's defense. Essentially they're portable walls that offer a something for the combatant to hide behind. They quite literally make you harder to hit. But in most D&D and its derivative systems shields rarely offer more than a minor bonus to armor class. I understand this is done for the sake of balance and that realism isn't something that is of prime importance when it comes to fantasy RPGs - but this method always struck me as... well... wrong.

Similarly, armor does not make you harder to hit. It makes you less likely to suffer damage from an attack by the protective garments deflecting or absorbing the force of the blow. From padded gambisons to boiled leather to advanced composite armor, it all serves the purpose of preventing a damage from a successful attack.

Some armor is more effective than others...

Instead, D&D gives us a system where both shield and armor provide the exact same statistical effect. For speed of play, this is fine - but when I sat down to think about it some time ago it really started to gnaw at my thought process. So, I got to thinking about how to make something more accurate to the true purpose of armor and shields and, to make shields that were something that players actually had an interest in taking. A majority of gamers I've played with over the years will choose a two-handed weapon for its high damage output or an off-hand weapon in order to make multiple attacks instead of a paltry one or two point bonus to their Armor Class. Shields, for all their mythology and glory, get regulated to a tertiary choice at best. Sure, they're stylish - but when it comes down to hard numbers, they're not a choice if you really want to survive.

So, I propose a different idea for both shields and armor. Armor does not provide a bonus to a character's AC. Instead, it provides a reduction in damage. Depending on how heavy the armor is, it provides more of a reduction. This Reduction Value is subtracted from the damage inflicted by every successful attack made against the character.

Shields, on the other hand, do provide an Armor Class bonus - and a huge one. The combination of the two makes for your classic juggernaut knight type of character, while someone wielding just a shield can easily mimic the agility and tactical movement of a hoplite or spartan. 

So, if I were to implement this mechanic for Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox or White Star I'd do it up something like this.

Protective Item	AC/AAC Bonus	Reduction Value
Light Armor	–	1
Medium Armor	–	3
Heavy Armor	–	5
Shield (buckler, target, round)	-4 [+4]	–
Shield (kite, tower, energy)	-6 [+6]	–

This means that a character with a high Dexterity can rely on a shield and the idea that with such a high Armor Class they're planning to not get hit in the first place. Meanwhile, it leaves those wearing heavy armor open to the likelihood of getting hit, but they can take more punishment before going down.

Or you can say "America, fuck yeah!" and throw your shield.

Anyway, just a few thoughts of Armor, Shields, and defense in D&D and its retro-clones. Something I've been mulling over in my head for a bit and that always gets me thinking.

The Final Winner of the OSR Christmas is...

Well, my run at OSR Christmas has come to an end, with but one last book to give away. I reached into my Crown Royal dice bag, pulled out a name written in red crayon on green construction paper and found out that +Zach Glazar has won a hardcover copy of the Class Compendium for Labyrinth Lord!

Thanks to everyone who participated and added some fantastic comments to the original thread. I hope the winners enjoy their prizes and I hope that everyone has a fantastic holiday season!

Review: The B/X Rogue

Necrotic Gnome Productions has quietly produced quality products for almost a year now. The Complete Vivimancer is, in my opinion, their strongest product to date and showcases author +Gavin Norman's ability to take the simple rules of Labyrinth Lord and really run in an entirely new direction with them. He doesn't gussy it up with flashy art or layout - just good ol' fashioned OSR content.

I heard some of the buzz around The B/X Rogue and decided to plunk down the very reasonable cost of $1.50. After giving it a read I can say that this product really brings a lot of options to the traditional "Thief" class, while keeping things simple and easily integrated into any B/X clone out there. It seems to be written with Labyrinth Lord specifically in mind. But, there's no reason it can't work for other OSR games on the market.

The B/X Rogue does something unique with the traditional thief class. The product is correct in calling itself "The B/X Rogue" and not "The B/X Thief." Instead of providing several abilities that are locked in and increase at a specific rate, a character selects a number of special abilities called "Talents" at character creation to reflect their unique skill set. This can include the traditional picking locks and hiding in shadows or things like being able to make a skilled retreat from combat or even cast minor magic spells. As a character increases in level they can learn new Talents. It's a simple system that works very well and is easy to understand.

This creates a kind of a la carte character, but always with a roguish flavor. Want a more bardic character, or an assassin, or a swashbuckler? The B/X Rogue does it all. At a buck fifty, its well worth the cost of admission and has me chomping at the bit in hopes that Norman gives Fighters, Clerics, Magic-Users, Dwarves, Elves and Halflings similar treatments. I'd really recommend this to anyone out there who plays a lot of Basic/Expert, Rules Cyclopedia, or Labyrinth Lord.