Holmes1to3 [general guidelines]

 Notes on playing a D&D campaign using only the Holmes Basic set of rules with level 1 to 3 being the only levels achievable by Player Characters.    1st level characters are tough bravos. 2nd level characters are champions. 3rd level characters are legendary. This is for doing a "whole campaign" that will see it's end sometime after all the PCS are 3rd level. Will they become lords of a new order, will they break the seals and release the old magics, or will it never matter because levels 1 to 3 are enough for a dozen or so sessions.

Holmes1to3

Hit Points.

As the whole campaign is from levels 1 to 3 PCs are given a HP boost at 1^st level to improve their odds a bit (and makes the PCS more heroic compared to many NPCs and monsters). This boost is equal to the prime requisite score of the player character.  So Fighters have an HP bonus equal to their STR score(for example). Split classed Characters will have the lower primer requisite score as the HP bonus. So an elf with an STR of 9 and an INT of 15 playing the standard split Fighter/MU has a bonus of 9 HP as the STR of 9 is the lower of the prime requisites.

At 1^st level a split classed character adds the HitDie roll of the large HD to their HP total. As they advance per level after that they only get ½ the roll for each class as the individual levels are gained. (The new roll with the HP bonus for CON is halved if the character has such)

Note: this puts the HP range from 4 to 51 for PCS over the life of a campaign based on class, level and ability scores.  

Class options:

Human: any 1 class

Dwarf: Fighter or Split Class Fighter/Thief or Split Class Fighter/Cleric. Dwarven Figher/Thieves are commonly known as Sappers and may be of any alignment. Dwarven Figher/Clerics are known as RuneBrands and MUST be Lawful Good or Chaotic Evil.

Halfling: Fighter, Thief or Split Class Fighter/Thief

Halglfing Fighter/Thieves of Good Alignments are known as Scouts.

Elf: Fighter, Thief, or Magic-user, or Split Classed Fighter/Magic-User or Split Classed Magi-User/Thief. Single classed Thieves and Magic-users are rare among elves and the Magic-User/Thief is known as a Trickster and not considered trustworthy among Good Elves.

Split classed characters advancement and limitations:

Some characters may advance in 2 classes. When doing so those experience points are divided equally into each class whenever they are rewarded. Experience points are still divided even 3^rd level has been reach in one of the 2 classes a character has.

Split Classed characters are free to use any weapon of their classes

Split classed Fighter/MU may cast spells in armor.

Spit classed thieves only have ½ their chance to use a thief skill if wearing armor heavier than Leather or bearing a shield, and lose their backstab, escape, and waylay abilities in those heavier armors.

Ability Modifiers:

Strength: All characters with a Strength score of 13 or more may a +1 damage to damage they cause by blows in melee combat.

Fighters may qualify for a bonus to hit and damage as follows.

STR Score	Bonus to Hit and Damage
13 to 15	+1 to hit AND +1 Damage  with two Handed weapons, Mounted Lances*
16 or 17	+2 to hit AND +2 Damage with two Handed weapons, Mounted Lances*
18	+3 to hit ANS +3 Damage with two Handed Weapons, Mounted Lances*

 

Humans and Elves may add this bonus if they are using a Two Handed Sword, A MorningStar, A Battle Axe(in 2 hands), or A Pole Arm.

*Dwarves may add this bonus when wielding ANY Axe or Hammer in Two Hands.

*Halflings are too small to make use of this bonus regardless of ability score.

Extra Abilities of Each Character Race and Class.

Fighters:

MIGHTY BLOWS:  Any time the d20 die roll to hit is 19 or 20 (and that attack doesn’t require a score of 19 or more to hit) the character has struck a mighty blow and add 1d6 per Fighter Level to the damage roll. (These additional damage dice are always 1d6 even if variant weapon damage rules are used). The mighty blow applies to melee weapons and thrown weapons. (This rule should NOT be used in concert with critical strikes). Monsters do NOT have this ability normally.

COMBAT DOMINANCE: When fighting a group of foes all of 1HD or less a fighter of level 2 or 3  is permitted 1 extra attack per level over 1 they have. A higher HD foe within 20’ cancels this ability as the fighter dare not divert attention from them. The fighter may lay all these blows on one hapless victim or divide them each against a different foe within reach. (creatures of 1+1HD do not qualify as having 1HD or less but 1^st level character types do even if they have a CON bonus).

FEND OFF FOES: when armed with a long weapon or two handed weapon a fighter may choose to FEND OFF FOES instead of making a regular attack. A Fighter may move when fending off foes but may not move within 10’ of a foe in this round. They sacrifice their next attack to be able to attack all foes advancing within 10 feet of them. If the blow hits the foes  is held back 10’ away and damaged as normal (sorry no Mighty Blows when fending off foes but bonuses for high STR still apply). When fending off foes the fighter is allowed 1 counter attack and 1extra counter attack per level (but only one per opponent). If any counter attack misses no further counter attacks may be made in a round. Counter attacks interrupt the closing enemies attacks. (There, now two handed weapons are very useful even if normally only allowed an attack every other round)

If no foes try to close within10’ of the fighter fending off foes no attacks may be made this round.

You may not fend off foes if you start the round engaged in melee.

Dwarves:

 dwarves add 1d6 damage per Fighter level when striking Ogres, Trolls, and Giants in melee combat even when it is not a mighty blow. When a dwarf scores a mighty blow against such a foe they get roll all the bonus dice but only keep the best rolls equal to their level . So a 2^nd level dwarf striking a mightyl blow against a giant would roll 2 dice for hitting a giant and 2 dice for the mighty blow and if the rolls were 1,3,2,5 the 3 and 5 would be picked to determine damage.

Halflings:

Halfling Fighters may add their level to damage caused by thrown weapons in all situations.

Elves:

Elven Fighters that start a round armed with a short bow or longbow and are not in melee combat may choose to fire a volley of shots if they DO NOT MOVE during the round. This volley of shots permits the elf to loose 1 more arrow per Fighter Level (making a standard attack roll with each). Attacks from a volley may be all made against 1 foe or against multiple foes that are within the same 20 of the 1^st target of a volley. Targets must be picked for each shot before the hit rolls are made.

Clerics:

SMITE EVIL. As with mighty blows any time a cleric hits an evil supernatural creature with a hit roll of 19 or 20 the cleric adds 1 die per cleric level to the damage. This applies against all Undead, Demons, and Spirts that may be harmed in melee combat. Different pantheons of gods may have a different group of creatures that may be vicitms of the “SMITE EVIL” ability.

SCRIBE SCROLLS: clerics may fashion scrolls in a similar cost an fashion to a magic-user. A cleric may also copy A scroll if they have one on hand even if 1^st level. The copying costs as much as it noramlly does to scribe a scroll. This allows 1^st level clerics to make scrolls if they have the money and time.

Magicusers:

BREW POTIONS: As they may scribe scrolls for 100 GP per spell level Magic users may brew potions for 200GP per spell level. All character classes may use a potion regardless of the spell so placed in it. A spell potion may take effect immediately or the drinker may target a victim for the spell in the following round. Spells not used by the end of the following round are lost. This potion spell may not be used on the same round a spell caster casts one of their normal spells or reads a scroll. A DM may require special ingredients (up to 2 per spell level) and each such special ingredient does reduce the cost to brew by 50GP. If special ingredients are required for a potion no amount of cash will replace them in and of itself.

Thieves:

WAYLAY: instead of making a backstab a thief that strikes an unaware foe from behind may instead try to knock them out adding 1d6 temporary damage per level if armed with a blunt weapon on their waylay attempt. If this would bring a foe to 0 HP or less they are knocked out but have only suffered 1 actual HP of damage and will recover all but that one point when revived by the actions of others or 2 full turns have passed.

If the blow wasn’t enough to waylay the foe (bring hp to 0 or less) they only take 1 hp damage from the attack.

Waylay Attacks may not be made against Elementals, Dragons, Undead, Giant Insects, Plants, Fungus, Slimes ,Oozes, Constructs, Animated Objects, and large sized animals.

ESCAPE COMBAT: A Thief with is allowed to make a saving throw to retreat from combat without risking a parting shot from any foes. Use the roll vs Turn to Stone. One saving throw is all that is needed to escape all foes. a failed saving throw and the thief is subject to partying blows as normal.

Add a bonus to the roll as follows if the Thief has a DEX of 13 or higher.

DEX Score	Bonus to Escape Combat
13 to 15	+1 to saving throw to escape combat
16 or 17	+2 to saving throw to escape combat
18	+3 to saving throw to escape combat

 Note of thief abilities: some of the chances of thieves skills seem really meager capped as they are in levels 1 to 3 but do consider these are in addition to normal capabilities beyond those of normal folks. They are hiding in shadows, not simply hiding. They are moving silently not simply quietly. And anyone can figure out how to bypass a trap the theif skills are ABOVE that in the odds of success.

HOLMES1to3 Player Character and NPC Score to hit

LEVEL			Armor Class
F	C/T	MU	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1	0
0-Level			11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
1	1-2	1-3	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19
2	3		9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
3			8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17

 NOTE: to hit chances are adjusted to make fighters more meaningful and not keep all characters at the same fighting capability at levels 1 to 3. The slightly improved odds for fighters along with the additional special abilities make fighters pretty fearsome and capable even at 2nd level.

 

Holmes1to3 Spells Class and Level

Magic-User				(Elf)				Cleric
CL	Spell Level			CL	Spell Level			CL	Spell Level
	1	2	3		1	2	3		1	2
1	2	-	-	1	1	-	-	1	-	-
2	3	2	-	2	2	1	-	2	2	-
3	3	3	2	3	2	2	1	3	2	2

 

(ELF) column is to limit the split/class options a little bit. The level is either their combination level or their MU level depending on how the DM tracks Elf levels. A single classed Elf MU would use the Magic-User portion of the table.

Notes: Magical wands and other devices are very powerful compared to the spell casting abilities of player characters in Holmes1to3.

Cure Light Wounds is the ONLY PC-sourced healing spell. More powerful healing will have to come from ancient magics, special rituals or mysterious places.

Magic-Users get a lot of spell capability but are fairly vulnerable. (With 18 CON and 18 Int the highest HP a MU will have is 39, the highest a Fighter/MU will have is 47 and only if they have an 18 is STR,INT, and CON ). Remember those 3rd level fireballs and lightning bolts they cast will be 3d6 damage (not 5d6) before a saving throw for hald of that.

Old DM Trick #5: Careful Door Description

Never forget the power of description.

There are two doors on the northern wall of the chamber. The one to the right is a simple oaken door with brass fittings and ring pull. The door to the left is half again as wide and half again as tall as the other door. It is made of ossified dragonwood and bound by bands of Urru-Steel forged by the dwarven forge-masters on Kazak-Urrinnor; the bands are bent out slightly and still hold the door firm from whatever impact or pressure thrown upon the other side. Closer inspection to the door on the left reveals small cracks in the ossified dragonwood boards, whatever did that is powerful indeed and surely only held back by the mighyt Urru-steel bands.  

This depends on how well you know your group of players. Some groups will never be able to avoid the fancier door to the left, they will even forget there is another door. Other groups will choose the simpler door smelling a trap on the more detailed door..."but wait, maybe that's the trick on hand to force us through the boring door".

And therein lays the trick. A boring choice now has drama. An arbitrary choice is no longer arbitrary.

Push Die!

Sometimes you want your PC heroes (and knaves) to push on, to try harder. Here's a game mechanic for any system where you roll high. The Push Die.

The Push Die is a die added to your normal resolution check to improve your odds of success. It is voluntary on part of the player if they will or will not add the push die to the roll and must be declared before making the normal roll to resolve a task. The push die should be rolled simultaneously with the resolution die, it's score being added to roll.

If the roll of a push die is a 1 the character suffers a point of fatigue. Tally that up and if fatigue is ever higher than 1/2 of the ability score related to an action the PC is now -2 to attempt that action (or at disadvantage if you use that mechanic in your game).

A HitDie of Fatigue is removed each full turn of rest a character takes. Magical healing will remove 1/2 of fatigue if the character is fully healed by healing magic. A DM may wish to add additional spells, salves, or potions t0 the game that remove (or inflict fatigue). A normal amount of full rest (for the night or a full rest break) this fatigue is fully removed.

If the resolution roll fails the full score of the push die is suffered as fatigue.

If the resolution roll fails with a fumble (a roll of 1 if you are using 1d20) the full score of the push die is suffered as fatigue and the related ability score suffers a point of strain. If the highest number was rolled on a push die than 1/2 that score is suffered as strain. Strain can be added up against each ability score. If strain is greater than 1/2 the ability score the character is now -2 to attempt actions with that ability. if strain exceeds a character's ability score they are overcome and unable to purposefully take actions that would use that ability and are -10 if forced to make a saving throw or reaction using that ability score.  Yeah -10, being virtually helpless should be a big deal.

An hour of rest will remove 1 point of strain in 1 ability score. 

I recommend a 1d4 be the base Push Die for all characters. If the ability score is a Prime Ability shift up a die. If the character has a score of 15 or more in an ability shift up a die.  A player may choose to roll less than their full push die if desired. So a Fighter with a score of 17 in Strength (a prime attribute in many systems) could roll 1d8 when pushing it. (or choose to roll 1d4, or 1d6 instead).

Why I like this mechanic.   There's no direct penalty for trying harder. But there is a consequence for trying harder and failing. The more players push it the more they will win...until they don't. I can also use a fatigue mechanic without having to always apply a fatigue score to a host of actions. Trying harder can cause fatigue but there isn't a constant penalty for action itself. Players that have their characters push on and on without resting will suffer more. those that do not risk will not reap rewards as easily however.

OLD DM TRICK #3

 

"And this d8 has an A instead of a 1, do you want to know why?"

A  friendly joking facebook response made to a humorous post on gamers dice fetish. But seriously do you want to know more? 

The first eight sided die I owned came from a set of polyhedral dice my dad went into the city and bought for me when I was a kid and had begun playing D&D with the boxed set that came with chits instead of actual dice. I pillage dice from the Yahtzee set but used paper chits for the other dice sizes. So probably sometime after my 2nd or 3rd D&D game my dad just shows up late after work one day with a set of polyhedral dice. There was a d4, d8, d12 and one or two d20's numbered 0-9 twice. The d8 has this curious little A on it instead of a 1 where the 1 would normally be.

Not a huge mystery really. Turns out it was from a mold meant for a set of poker dice to get results of 2 through 8 and Aces. I immediately pondered "what about the other numbers? Wouldn't a d12 make more sense for poker dice? That way you could come closer to a full set of cards, you'd just be missing one face card?" . "They probably didn't know about 12 sided dice when they made these eight-sided ones" was my father's sensible response. I was actually a little surprised the first time I saw d8 with a "1" instead of an "A".

EDIT:   I believe the set of dice was sold by The Armory and my dad bought it as The Compleat Strategist.

Quick Humanoid Roster

Wanting to have a different roster of humaoids in my next megadungoen and here's

my roster so far.

HD Move AC Atk, Special

Feral Hobars         1/2     30 12 weapon 1d4, +4 save vs poison,hide 90%

Thorn Gnomes 1/2     20 13 weapon 1d4 +sleep poison, automatic counter

attack vs grapple attacks +4 to save against herbals and gas

Cyanoids 1-1     40 11 weapon 1d6, immune to poison & paralysis, -2 vs mental                                                                             attacks Healing magic "Hastes" then for 2 rounds per point

                                                                of healing

Boggarts         1     30 13 weapon 1d6, 33% capture spell

Poison Dwarves 1+1     20 14 weapon 1d6 +poison, immune to poison & paralysis 

  Rotwood Elves     1+1     30 14 weapons 1d6 +spores, immune to sleep & paralysis,

                                                                +4 vs poison

Hammer Goats 2 50 14 hammers 2d4, +2 to save vs mental attacks cause confusion in                                                                     those 2HD or less 

Amazons 2 40 14 weapons 1d8,+1 initiative, immune to charm by males

Broken Men 2+1 20 14 weapons 1d8, 33% to drive a telepath insane vs mental                                                                                 intrusion/attacks,climb walls 95%,hide 66%

                                                                can't be knocked prone

Headless         3 30 13 weapons 1d8+1,Bite 1d4+1, +4 to save vs mental attacks 

Lanks 3 40 13 weapons 1d10, 90% silent, always has reach advantage over                                                                     normal men

Geminoids 3+1 30 13     2 weapons 1d8+1 or 4 weapons 1d6 each,

                                                                +4 save vs.mental & illusions,twice as hard to surprise

Cyclops         4 40 14 weapon 1d10+2, blows shatter normal weapons or shields 1in6,                                                                 +2 vs illusions 

HD are 1d8 Move is feet per round if unencumbered or in stabdard default armor (as

per AC listed) 

AC listing is for most common armor. Boggarts,Poison Dwarves,

Rotwood Elves, Amazons,Headless,Lanks,Geminoids, and Cyclops may be found with

any sort of shields and armor. Cyanoids physically could but they find armor too

confining and itchy.

Is old school play ready to move beyond 1d20?

A plain and simple question. Is old school play ready to move beyond 1d20? I'm seeing plenty of new games embracing alternate dice mechanics again while the games are otherwise very D&D adjacent. All actually old old-timers should be familiar with a few now classic competitors to the throne where we rolled 3d6 under a difficulty rating or 1d100 to get within a % chance. But they were only "slightly" D&D adjacent. Like The Fantasy Trip and Rune Quest. (please not very subtle sarcasm there) Has the corporate beast actually left the gate open to "allow" gamers to enjoy a wider range of dice mechanics in games that sell and will be played widely?