Same XP for all classes (B/X)

Despite being inspired mostly by B/X, I prefer using the same XP for all classes in my games. This is how Dark Fantasy Basic works, for example.

I heard some arguments to the contrary - that different XP tracks are important. I think there's some merit to this idea, but for now I prefer doing things my way. 

In theory, I wanted a 10th-level Fighter (or "F10") to be roughly as powerful as a 10th-level Magic-User (M10). Which is hard to do.

In B/X, you might be tempted to think the idea is that a F10 is close in power to a MU9, since the XP requirements are somewhat similar. 

I think this is doubtful, at best. 

But if that was true... could we still have B/X with same XP for all classes? 

I have read many attempts to " reverse engineer" B/X classes. I do not think they were as engineered as one might think, but I like playing with that idea. 

Today, I'll be referencing BX Options: Class Builder, which looks very cool (I've only read the first few pages).

The idea is that you can create a stronger Fighter or Thief by requiring more XP. So, giving the thief better saving throws (as a fighter) would "cost" 300 XP. Could we make everyone share the same XP to get to level 2, for, example? Let's try. 

Fighter: Leave it at 2,000 XP for now. Let's try to make other classes the same.

Magic-user: We'd have to bring the MU down to reach the fighter. There is no easy way to do that without giving him even more restrictions. 

The class builder suggests one could get extra spells for 100 to 200 XP. Maybe we could do the opposite, giving the MU fewer spells - at most one per level. 

Notice the MU starts getting more than one spell per level only by level 7. If we change that, the starting MU is not any weaker (good!) but at level 10 he is significantly less powerful (also good), especially because he can never get three fireballs.

This gives the game a somewhat more S&S/low-magic vibe, which I like.

Let's say:  

			Spells
MU level	1	2	3	4	5	6
1	1
2	2
3	2	1
4	2	2	1
5	2	2	2
6	2	2	2
7	2	2	2	1
8	2	2	2	2
9	2	2	2	2	1
10	2	2	2	2	2
11	2	2	2	2	2	1
12	2	2	2	2	2	2
13	3	2	2	2	2	2
14	3	3	2	2	2	2

Cleric: I do not think the cleric deserves any further boost. They are very powerful, in my experience. I'd just require 2000 XP like the fighter. The spells and turn undead makes up for the difference. Please let me know in the comments if you disagree.

Thief: this is my main concern because it is a class that I find very weak, despite the low XP requirements (1,200 XP to level 2). The thief deserves 1d6 HP IMO, plus better saving throws (let's say the sneaky thief is as elusive as the strong fighter). This brings him to 1,700 XP. 

There is not much more to give a thief. Infravision or a couple of extra skills could work to get him to 2,000 XP, or maybe give him fighting capabilities similar to the fighter - when you compare the B/X thief with similar XP as a fighter, the attack bonus is not that different.

I wont include elves, halflings and dwarves because I don't use race-as-class.

Is this worth the effort? I'm not sure. Tweaking classes like that assumes there is some balance to begin with, which might not be the case. 

As I've mentioned in my last post, I'd prefer starting with very simple classes and then adding some feats as you go. 

Spell-less classes would get more feats than spellcasters, to improve their versatility, since they don't get to choose spells.

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The mage gap

One problem that I've seen in my D&D games is what people usually call the "Linear Fighter, Quadratic Wizard" problem.

"The mage gap" is shorter - and, as we'll see, it is also a problem that affects thieves and other non-spell classes, not only fighters.

I've noticed this in B/X and 5e, and not in 4e. It was a very common issue in the 3e era, but I haven't played much 3e. I'll discuss this from a B/X perspective.

There are multiple descriptions of this problem, but for me the issue is:

Fighters are good at hitting stuff. As they level up, they get BETTER at hitting stuff.

Wizards are good at spells. As they level up, they get:

- BETTER at casting THE SAME spells (e.g., a 10th level mage casts a 10d6 fireball).

- BETTER SPELLS (e.g., fireball is more powerful than magic-missile).

- MORE spells (e.g., cast fireball more times per day).

- OTHER spells (e.g., they can pick fireball and fly, that are useful in very different situations).

On this last point, we notice mages have lots of options starting on level 1. Fighters can maybe choose weapons, but a shortsword is not significantly different from a mace (and both serve he exact same function), while "charm", "sleep", and "read languages" create completely different 1st level mages.

I've discussed several fixes for fighters before. 

At the bare minimum, I think fighters deserve extra attacks so their attacks are not only better but also more numerable (and more effective due to extra damage).

We can give fighters several advantages (HP, better saves, etc.) and even make them "balanced" with wizards, but it is difficult to give them the same variety a wizard enjoys.

(Notice that thieves suffer a similar problem: they get better at skills, but their skills do not have better effects, nor do they get extra skills as they level up).

The most common "fix" for this is magic weapons. In B/X, there are swords that cast spells (or spell-like effects) such as light, charm person, locate objects and even wish.

Which is fine but mostly turns the fighter into a type of spell-caster.

I don't think you can do much better if you stick to the simplicity of the "fighter" concept. But if you expand it to include rangers, barbarians, paladins, etc., it becomes more interesting - now a "fighter" might be able to find food, sneak around, ride a horse with expertise, etc.

In skill-based system, this is easy to do. In D&D, I think the mere existence of rangers, etc., limit the fighter to one single role (hitting things). That is one of the reasons I prefer the Old School Feats approach of keeping the basic classes but giving fighters more options.

However, in my own games I've also been trying to limit wizards somewhat. This is not only because I prefer sword & sorcery and dark fantasy to high fantasy, but also because I feel wizards become too complex as they level up.

In Dark Fantasy Basic, mages get better at casting spells as they level up, but they don't automatically gain new spells. Instead, each new spell comes at the cost of a feat.

And, while it is possible they cast stronger spells as they level up, this is not automatic; a 10d6 fireball is harder to pull off than a 3d6 fireball.

DFB was published in 2017 and I know it requires a big update. The more I play RPGs - any RPGs, including B/X - the more I want to change them. On the other hand, the more I play, the more ideas I get, which causes me some analysis paralysis.

But anyway, I think it was a step in the right direction. Nowadays, I'm leaning towards something like:

- Mages get ONE new spell per level, and get +1 to spellcasting.

- Fighters get +1 to attack per level, but they also get extra attacks and, indirectly, more damage.

- And, while we're at it, thieves get new skills as they level up, in addition to becoming better at some skills.

Synergy (momentum, skills, challenges) + Conan 2d20 ramblings

I wrote a dark fantasy RPG a decade ago (Days of the Damned), but I have not published it, mostly because I thought I could do better (and I think I did - the games I published are significantly more polished). 

Still, it had some fun ideas - many inspired by other RPGs - that I should consider using in my games (I might even give it a re-write and publish it one day).

One important aspect of DotD was synergy. It boils down to "if you succeed, add half your margin of success to the next roll (as long as the next roll is related)".

This bears some resemblance to 3e's "skill synergy" and, AFAICT, to (Modiphius 2d20) Conan's "momentum".

My method has some obvious use in combat - add half your margin to damage, which seems to work even better than this - but has many other uses as well.

For example, a thief could add synergy from sneaking to attacking, while a ranger could get a bonus to initiative or perception because he rolled so well in his nature check. A jousting tournament begins with a horse-riding check, which adds to your attack, etc.

Want to study a foe before attacking him? Same solution. Maybe fast-talk someone so they can lower their guard, or distract him to pick his pocket? Same.

Anyway, this is just a small idea that I remembered today because I read something about Modiphius' Conan and it sounds like they did something cool with a (vaguely) similar idea.

I considered getting their PDFs - I'm a sucker for S&S games, as you might have noticed - but then I remembered there is no longer a legal way to get the PDFs as "their license expired".

(I should have bought it at the time... sighs).

The thing is, Robert E. Howard died in 1936, and most his work (apparently, everything he published while living) SHOULD be in the public domain.... however, depending when where you live, they are NOT.

This is probably why you might have a hard time finding awesome Glenát comics (just google "Glenat Conan").

I think ANYONE should be able to publish a Conan game, but that's just wishful thinking.

This is not Modiphius' fault, of course. I'm sure they have their reasons - and better lawyers than I. 

AFAICT, everyone could publish Conan stuff in the US by 2028... And even then someone might claim  "trademark" to avoid this (although IMHO a common name shouldn't be subject to that either).

It just sucks that we lose access to lots of works written (or that could have been written) with inspiration by Howard, Lovecraft, or Burroughs because some company somewhere is trying to enforce copyright laws that are even more draconian than the minimum "50 years after the author's death".

Maybe Modiphius can publish all their material again under a different name ("Sword of the Barbarian", I dunno) so I can one day read it. 

Or maybe I should check their John Carter book... let me know if it is any good!

BTW, if you ever want to read one of my books and cannot find or afford it, I encourage you to ask me for a discount, and I wouldn't mind if you get my books in other ways you can... That's all I'll say on the matter for now.

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(Yet another) critical hit system for B/X, AD&D etc.

 It is quite simple:

A) Natural 20 means maximum damage.

B) Beat AC by 10 or more means double damage.

This has several advantages.

"A" gives you a quick, optimal result that is still within the expected boundaries. You can deal maximum damage at any time, but a natural 20 guarantees it. No "whiff factor". The average damage is not significantly impacted.

And "B" gives you:

- The fighter to get a small boost in damage, especially against weak foes, which is good.

- Armor becomes more important - going unarmored is now a terrible idea.

- The thief gains more damage with backstabbing. This is good for B/X but maybe unnecessary for AD&D. OTOH the B/X thief becomes a bit more frail due to light armor and low HP.

Both give more importance to strength bonuses and magic weapons, and even make two-handed 1d10 weapons a bit stronger (although a shield also becomes more important).

But what if both happen at the same time?

There are several solutions.

- Double maximum damage. This would occasionally allow a B/X fighter that usually deals 1d8+2 damage to deal 20 damage with a single blow.

- Double damage, but ONE of the dice is automatically maximum damage (i.e., 1d8+3 becomes 8+1d8+6). I like this solution because the maximum damage is still impressive, but the average is a bit lower.

- Double damage plus another attack. I like this one because it gives the fighter some cleaving.

A caveat: monsters will get more dangerous too.

This is not a HUGE problem IMO; I like dangerous monsters, and with multiple attacks monsters are likely to spread the damage a bit. But it is something to keep in mind.

In praise of Lamentations (LotFP)

I recommended Lamentations of the Flame Princess (LotFP) to someone online and they asked what's so special about it.

I had already compared it to other similar systems here:

Famous for its gory, mature, bloody art and themes, and some interesting adventures, but for me the rules are the best part: well organized, streamlined, and even somewhat rebalanced. Seems inspired by Mentzer's B/E. It strays a bit further from Basic than any of the ones mentioned above, but still roughly compatible. I find most of the changes (cleric, turn undead, 1d6 thief skills, encumbrance, the summon spell, etc.) very positive and preferable to the original rules and other clones. The basic rules do not contain anything explicit or gory except for one spell (summon) that might cause sexual violence. Free version here.

As you can see, there is a free version; if you prefer, go read the book instead of this little overview! The version with art is also worth it (if you are not discouraged by some blood and gore)

Notice I do not run LotFP, but my own game, Dark Fantasy Basic, with a few updates.

But if you want to know why I like LotFP, here are some my favorite aspects.

The fighter gets +1 "to hit" per level and a few simple combat maneuvers. Other classes do not get any bonus after level 1, which I dislike but at the same time admire for its radical simplicity. 

Clerics and magic-users can use swords, however, which I like.

Clerics get to choose turn undead as a spell; it is not an intrinsic ability anymore. A cleric takes many hours to prepare spells - as many as the highest level spell being prepared. They deserve the nerfing IMO.

The magic-users start with read magic plus three random spells, and gains ONE new random spell per level. This is perfect IMO. Notice the simplicity: the fighter gets +1 to-hit, the MU gets one new spell, etc.

The MU can still get other spells through research, scrolls, etc. Spells like fireball, which I dislike, are simply removed. The summon spell is expanded (to 10 pages!) to generate random creatures that the MU cannot always control - and it can be used from level 1!

The specialist is probably the most interesting class: he has the same 1-in-6 chances that most other classes have to perform certain feats/skills, but he gets skill points each level to distribute as he wishes between stealth, climb, search, etc. Sneak attack is also a skill - having 4 points means you QUADRUPLE damage. There are ten skills, which sounds about right to me.

Overall, the rules of the game are simplified and well organized. I like most of the options the author takes (simplified encumbrance, silver standard, simplified weapons, streamlined attribute modifiers from -3 to +3, a few combat maneuvers, etc.), and they are very adequate to the "dark fantasy" genre I enjoy so much.

There are a few things I'd change, of course (combat feels less deadly than most B/X games for several reasons, I dislike the usual 5 saving throws, would like to give the fighter more tools to play with, or more customization in general - no multi-classing here, etc.), but this is just me.

The rules are both SIMPLE and feel COMPLETE, which is hard to do. The spells go to level 9, characters go to level 20 and beyond. There are innumerable small tweaks that improve the usual B/X rules, too many to analyse.

If I were to run a OSR dark fantasy game I didn't write - and couldn't change a thing - this is one I might use.

So, while I don't run LotFP, I have run several modules - Qelong (awesome), Better Than Any Man (which is very good and FREE!), The god that crawls (review here), etc. 

I don't think it is useful to make generalizations (well, I've made a few here) - some are great, some are bad, look for reviews here or elsewhere. In this post, I just wanted to talk about the basic rules.

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Some MMA-Melee reflections

I was talking about "medieval MMA" on twitter the other day and another user (@D20Gary) made a good point about how every attack "hits", and we could just roll damage instead of "to-hit" like Cairn does.

Gary makes a good point - in melee, almost every attack "hits" - even if only "hits" shield, armor or weapon. 

It is very rare that someone would hit air.

However, I disagree with the solution (and don't use a Cairn-like system), because not every attack DAMAGES.

Look at the video below, for example. Several attacks "hit" armor but not necessarily HURT.

It is often said that a "miss" in D&D could be a glancing/weak hit.

Although practice might vary from table to table, it is obvious that it must be so - just think about the numbers and what AC means.

E.g.: say your fighter "hits" by rolling 8 or more against an unarmored foe.

If the foe is using plate, a 8 or more obviously mean you still "hit" the target, but with not enough skill to bypass/defeat armor.

This can be seen in the video, over and over.

Another problem is that each fight like the video takes dozens of "hits" or more to  finish. 

Even with an average of 1d6 damage per round, every fighter would need 60+ HP, leading to HP bloat.

(This could be avoided by adjusting damage - apparently, Cairn does this by subtracting armor from damage, which is good).

So, even in the context of the MMA-melee video, a D&D-like system seems to make more sense - decent level fighters constantly "hit" but not always "damage".

HOWEVER...

I agree that needing TWO rolls for attack AND damage is redundant, ESPECIALLY if you consider "misses" are not necessarily MISSING the target.

The hit/miss binary is just too "low resolution" - doesn't measure quality or even separate "misses" from actual misses (i.e., "hitting air").

My favorite solution would involved a single d20 roll with some nuance. This has been attempted in several ways in here (see links below), and by many before me.

Anyway.

On a related topic.

What we said above is true for "MMA melee", but not so for actual MMA or boxing - it is not unusualk to "hit air". Same for shooting bows, etc.

Now think of the various forms of combat:

- Unarmed, which includes striking AND grappling.

- Melee with armor. 

- Melee without armor (e.g., fencing). 

- Bows. 

- Firearms.  

These are so incredibly DIFFERENT in reality that a single system is unlikely to work well for ALL types.

A dagger fight ends in minutes without armor, but can last HOURS in plate.

Add a knife to a boxing (or wrestling) fight and it changes EVERYTHING.

Just change the surroundings - from forests to tight dungeons - and the whole dynamic is different.

Lethality, speed, distance, % of hits landed, lasting wounds, etc. are just too diverse.

So, you either have SEVERAL combat systems or accept that these things will be mostly abstract.

It is difficult (maybe impossible) to have a system that is both realistic AND simple - not to mention FUN to use at the table.

Still, we keep trying...

Additional reading:

https://methodsetmadness.blogspot.com/2024/01/single-attackdamage-roll.html

https://methodsetmadness.blogspot.com/2024/02/hitting-armor-in-d-glancing-blows.html

https://methodsetmadness.blogspot.com/2023/06/minimum-combat-detail-deadly-daggers.html

https://bxblackrazor.blogspot.com/2024/07/d-combat.html

Christmas in July (2024) picks

Christmas in July has arrived, so here are my usual picks, with some additions.

The most recent OSR deal right now is probably Knave 2e. I'm curious about this one -  I really liked the first one.

Dragonbane is currently 4.99, which might make me finally get it. 

Same for The Witcher if you're interested - doesn't look like my type of game.

Or Dungeons of Drakkenheim if you are into 5e - looks really cool, and I might get it for my OSR games.

Here are all the deep discounts - up to 80% off!

Also, let me remind you that all of my books are included in the sale! 

This includes my latest work, Basic Wilderness Encounters - which recently got a couple of 5-star ratings!

If your tastes are similar to mine, take a look! They are mostly compatible with OSR games (except for a couple of 5e books - "Manual of Arms").

HYPERBOREA - which I reviewed here - is also included.

The Halls of Arden Vul Complete is also 40% off - or $45.00 off. Sounds reasonable for 1.100 pages (!) although it is probably too much material for me to digest.

Now, let's see the old favorites...

OSR

* Teratogenicon, my monster maker (check the previews!).

* Dark Fantasy Basic, my B/X neoclone.

* Low Fantasy Gaming Deluxe Edition (review of the original version);

* Monkey Business.

* Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG (DCC RPG);

* How to Write Adventure Modules That Don't Suck; 

* The Monster Alphabet; 

* Old-School Essentials Classic Fantasy: Rules Tome; 

* Silent Legions; 

* The Nameless Grimoire.

* Into the Unknown (my impressions).

* Adventurer Conqueror King System.

* Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells.

Classic D&D

This are some of my favorites. Explanation here.

* D&D Basic Set Rulebook (B/X ed.) (Basic).

* D&D Rules Cyclopedia (Basic)

* Dungeon Master's Guide (1e)

* Monstrous Manual (2e) - the current price is RIDICULOUSLY LOW for such a a great book.

* Dark Sun boxed set.

Goodman Games

In addition to the amazing Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG (DCC RPG), I really like The Dungeon Alphabet, The Monster Alphabet and The Cthulhu Alphabet. They are near system-less and full of awesome stuff to inspire your games. I still haven't read How to Write Adventure Modules That Don't Suck but it is also on sale.

They also publish awesome adventures; Doom of the Savage King is highly recommended! Same for Jewels of the Carnifex, which I reviewed here.

Necrotic Gnome

Several Old School Essentials titles are also on sale in addition to Old-School Essentials Classic Fantasy: Rules Tome. I really like Old-School Essentials. It is basically a concise, well-organized version of my favorite D&D (B/X). The SRD is great. the version that interests me the most is the advanced version - it is NOT an AD&D clone, but B/X with many new options taken from AD&D, dragon magazine, etc. For players and DMs.

Sine Nomine Publishing

Worlds Without Number is on sale. I have only read the free version briefly, but seems very good overall, and I've appreciated many other titles form the same author, including Scarlet Heroes and Silent Legions (maybe my favorite OSR take on horror and Lovecraft).

I think that's it for now. If you know any other books on sale that you'd recommend (especially if it is 40% off), let me know in the comments and I'll add it to my list. Feel free to promote your own products!

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