Darkest Hack part 2

I once again yell my barbaric yawp into the void with four more Darkest Dungeon classes reworked for Old School Hack. Let me know if you want to see more.

Vestal

Mace Bash: Normal Melee Attack

Judgment: Divine bolt 1d6 target heals Vestal damage dealt

Dazzling Light: Raises light level target must Dex save or stunned.

Divine Grace: heals 1d8 by touch

Divine Comfort: Heals all party member within sight 1d4

Illumination: Ranged attack target must Dex save or Blind

Hand of Light: Meele attack extra 1d6 against unholy

Leper

Chop: Normal melee attack

Hew: -2 to damage but attacks all targets next to Leper

Purge: Successful attack knocks target back 2

Revenge: Advantage to attack, but give opponet advantage on next attack

Solemnity: Heals self 1d8 grants advantage to next attack

Withstand; Raises Morale grants opponent disadvantage on next attack

Intimidate: Close blast 3 Cha save or disadvantage on next attack

Occultist

Sacrificial Stab: Melee attack Con save or bleed 1d4 per round

Abyssal Artillery: Ranged blast 1, save versus Dex or 1d8 damage

Weakening Curse: Ranged attack, save versus Int or disadvantaged

Wyrd Reconstruction: Touch heal 1d10 but save versus con or bleed 1d4

Vunerablity: Ranged attack save versus Int or grants attackers advantage and marked

Hands from the Abyss: Touch attack, Save versus dex or stunned

Demon Pull: Ranged attack Save versus Dex or pulled 3 squares towards the caster

Arbalest

Sniper Shot: Ranged attack weapon plus 1d6 extra damage to marked target

Suppressing fire: Ranged attack targets three, but -2 to damage

Snipers mark: Ranged attack marks target

Bola: Ranged attack Targets two targets, if hit targets are restrained

Blind fire: Ranged attack targets random target, no penalty for adjacent opponet

Rallying Flare: clears all stuns and marks from allies

Darkest Hack part 1 First pass characters

Here's my first cut at adapting Darkest Dungeon to the table-top. Core system is based on Old School Hack (OSH): where every class has a list of powers; every character picks one power at the start and adds a new power every level. Description are perhaps more fifth edition Dungeons and Dragons than OSH, since I am used to thinking that way (OSH still has six attributes but renames them). Here's the four Classes I have done so far:

Crusader

Smite: Standard attack +1d4 damage against the unholy (undead, evil aligned monsters)

Zealous Accusation: Close blast 1d4 radiant damage

Stunning Blow: Standard attack -2 damage but CON or stunned

Bulwark of Faith: +2 AC for 3 rounds

Battle Heal:  Touch Heals 1d8

Holy Lance: Normal movement without provoking, must end next to an opponent and make a standard attack against that opponent. Must start not next an opponent to use this power

Inspiring Cry: Heal 1d4 all allies within 30’ Raise morale one level

Hellion

           

            Wicked Hack: normal attack plus dexterity bonus

           

Iron Swan: Leap over 3 squares, avoid AO with successful acrobatics check attack at end of leap

Barbaric Yawp: Close blast 3 Wisdom save or stunned

If It Bleeds: Attacks second rank. Save versus Con or take 1d4 bleed damage each round until save is made

Breakthrough: Hits three targets in a line -2 damage

Adrenaline Rush: heal 1d4 ends poison and bleed conditions

Bleed out: normal attack plus Save versus Con or take 1d4 bleed damage each round until save is made

Bounty Hunter

            Collect Bounty: Normal attack plus extra 1d8 on marked target

            Marked for Death: Marks Target

           

Come Hither: Range 3 Successful attack pulls target two squares (must use hooked chain as weapon)

Upper Cut: Successful attacks pushes target one square back on failed STR check

Flashbang: Close blast 3 Dex save or stunned

Finish him: extra 1d6 against stunned targets

Hook and Slice: Range 3 Save versus Con or take 1d4 bleed damage each round until save is made (must use hooked chain as weapon)

Highwayman

            Wicked Slice: Normal attack with DEX bonus to damage

           

            Pistol Shot: Gun based ranged attack

            Grapeshot: Ranged burst 1 -2 to damage

            Point Blank Shot: Gun based attack Range 0, move back 2 without AO

Tracking Shot: Gun based attack -2 to damage but subsequent attacks on this target are mad e with advantage

Duelist’s advance: Move up to full move without AO, make attack at the end (must start not adjacent to enemy)

Open Vein: Normal attack with DEX bonus -2 to damage. Save versus Con or take 1d4 bleed damage each round until save is made

Welcome to Middle World

Found some files I scanned awhile ago. My attempt to map a role playing world from the top down. Done at the time when I first moved to Cleveland and most of my stuff was in storage,because She-who-must-be-obeyed and I were in an apartment waiting for our house deal to close. Didn't have the TV but we did have a yellow quarille pad , some fine point markers and a roll of "flimsy" (similar to tracing paper, the old school equvalent of layers in your draw program). These maps track one large continent with various layers from biomes to population.

Right Side Detail Map with Mountains and Rivers

Left Side Detail Map (unfinished)

Biome Map

Close-up Biome Map (Using Slightly diffent system)

Map of City Locations

Cultural Diffusion from Origin Centers

Population Density

 Although I had great fun generating this map, ultimately I did not actually use it to run a campaign.   I was not really taken with effect produced by the yellow background; I felt I had once again drawn too many mountains, and although the yellow-out helped with rivers it was not going to work on all the mountains. It also seemed that given the ancients preference for water travel that a realistic campaign would require detailing the nearby southern continent as well. However, we also found a new RPG group in Cleveland who already had a DM so I spend next couple of years playing rather than DMing. When next time my chance to DM rolled around I started on the micro-scale and worked my way up. You can read about that in my Great River posts.

Blog of many things

Afraid lately I have been distracted by many shiny objects:

Playing Diablo 3. I really love the loot drop and having so many magic items I have to decide which ones to keep. Reminded me of the fine 3rd edition Diablo Diabere supplement magic item roll-up chart. Someone should make a 5e version of this. Already had some second edition rules for socketed items, but these need to be updated as well.

Playing Darkest Dungeon. Some interesting thoughts for random map generation (although I would use some geomorphic battle maps as well). Love all those character classes and their quirky moves. Working on an Old School Hack version for each of these.

Working on an Old School Hack/Skill based power system of my own.

Trying to talk the new Bard in our Tuesday 5e game to take at least some combat skills, instead of another skill baby my Cleric has to tank to protect.

Cataloging all the monster from All the Worlds Monsters and seeing how they stack up against the modern version in Pathfinder and 5e. There's a monster vs fighter combat spreadsheet on Deltas D&D hotspot I could use to check them all...

Grabbing random images for my pinerest page

Trying to skim through the 1000+ posts on my RPG feed

If I manage finish to any of these I'll be sure to post them here.

Sewer Dungeon

I have always resented the short shrift Wizards of the Coast gave in its "Undermountain" gave to level 4 the sewer level. Iconic "Old school" D&D always involved battling a diverse clean-up crew of Otyughs, ropers, gibbering mouthers and black puddings the size of horse carts. Here is the "official" map of the fourth level of Undermountain:

The twisty passages and river are alright. However notice the scale one square equals 10' On my standard 5 to the inch quadrille this is barely 8.5" by 11". Comparing it to the double quad fold 34" by 22" of level 3 the Skullport/Sargoth level and considering it supposed to drain and feed all of Undermountain, this map just pathetic. Fortunately it appears I am not the only one with this option. Here is a redrawn home brew fourth level of a size to do it justice (from slade88green's image shack account).

and half of it redrawn in the box set trade dress (courtesy of Doirche [who died too young] on the cartographer's guild forum). I had to use the way back machine to resurrect this one.

Some nice discussion on the these maps at the Undermountain Back in Print project. Although most of this site seems frozen amber, it is a least still there. Halaster is promising progress in 2016.

Now all fourth level needs is some farms, a temple of the slime god, black puddings the size of horse carts and so om.

October update

Well it has sneaked off and become November, without my noticing. Therefore I am offering another update just to prove my existence in the blogo-sphere. Major event of October was my trip to Con-on-the-Cob. As usual this proved to be an enjoyable convention, although the new location made for a much more dispersed location. The overwhelming smell of chlorine in the open gaming room (which was poolside) did not incentivise me to sit down and play so most of the time was spent in the dealers and art room. Initial purchases where Anomalous Subsurface Environment level 2-3, and Random Esoteric Creature Generator from a booth selling printed versions of various OSR type products (although I already hold a number of these items .pdf form I felt a need to purchase something to encourage the dealer to sell at other conventions). I bought after long haggling Dreamscared Ultimate Psionics book for Pathfinder (Once again I am a hard sell having already purchased large quantities of Pathfinder stuff from my friendly local game store. However he gave me a 20% discount and threw in a psionic gamemasters screen for free). I also bought a "Low Life" Boss Blocker (I paid full price for that one, not wanting to re-buy either the "Low Life Redredged" or "Kestier Island" which would have qualified me for a free Boss Blocker). I bought in the art room a small clockwork door as terrain for some future battle mat. The man who made the clockwork door did not produce overnight the clockwork man-way I had suggested, so I'll have to watch his e-bay site for it). We did have a long chat about the strengths and weaknesses of various D&D editions and whether Games Workshop had jumped the shark again (at this point I think it's jumping the sharknado, but least the Tau have gained the uber sized "D" gun equipped model to stand toe to toe with most of rest of the 40K armies, no help for my beloved Tyranids yet apparently skyscraper sized monsters aren't actually capable of destroying things in a single hit like mechanical swords). Unfortunately for my blogging here I have "discovered" Pinerest. Its right brain approach to blogging appeals to my "slacker" nature. However, after few weeks of re-linking all my deviant art likes I am discovering the internet is much shallower resource than I had hoped. Both flattering and discouraging was goolging for "Tekumel World Maps" and discovering my own world maps (which are very nice but definitely not Tekumel) listed on the first page of images returned. Until later...

What I did with my summer vacation

Its been long busy summer. Unfortunately with two hard drive crashes and some moving I have fallen way behind even my lack-a-day one a month posting schedule. I did however make it to both Origins and Gencon. Origins was not so exciting. However, Gencon was a different story. Only went for one day so all I did was the dealers room. Major swag included:

- In to the Breach, both Players and Fate Masters guide. I have seen too many rigged card decks to be favor of card based resolution, but at least its role playing  rather than miniatures (my main gripe with Malifaux its sister game).

-Prince of Satar (a print version of the web comic).

-Heroquest in Glorantha. A revised Heroquest (The Laws Stafford one, not those other two) tricked out with artwork from the Gloranthan gazeeter. Unfortunately its still Heroquest (I am still hoping 13th age in Glorantha will give me a Gloranthan game which is my style).

-The battle mats for the Emerald Spire dungeon (already had the dungeon)

-Lone Wolf Adventure Game. Well written but perhaps aimed at a younger audience than me. At only$30 for the boxed set still a good deal. Here is a picture of me and Joe Dever at the Cubical 7 booth at Gencon:

Flying Buffalo had booth but only a mock-up of the Deluxe Tunnels and Trolls so I didn't get anything then. Broke down and bought the .pdf of Deluxe Tunnels and Trolls yesterday. It still uses the same sad combat engine as before (I have blogged my concerns previously), but nice artwork and lots of extras. I'll try and get some longer reviews of things later.