The Race Version 1

My last post I offered up an idea for playing out the classic hexcrawl with a variant set of mechanics. This post there is going to be an example using a race to a treasure by two different parties of adventurers.

Neither party is overly encumbered and both will have 4 move rolls a day. I'm using 5 mile hexes here.

Party A is confident and determined to make progress with the most direct line of travel possible.

Party B has a guide who knows the local terrain well enough for a +1 bonus, he recommends the party stays well and clear of the mountains and amazingly enough they take his advice.

For this example I'm going to use a planned route assuming the players behind each party have access to a map which shows the hex terrain but not the travel scores (and can oddly enough follow a plan no matter what happens).


Route Map:


Day One Roll One:
Day one starts off easy enough for both parties, neither finds road travel particularly difficult or hazardous at the start of the day. Party A rolled 7 and Party B rolled a 10, both meeting or beatign the travel score of 3 required to move from their hex of origin into the next hex.

Day One Roll Two:
The second roll of the day and both parties are moving along the road. Party B almost didn't make it but were able to carry on without incident thanks to the guide they have employed.

Day One Roll Three:
Continuing on Party A travels into the hills making for the mountains and their quarry and party B continues on into easy terrain following their guides advice.

Day One Roll Four:
Party A has entered the mountains and party B has entered the hills following their guide.

Day Two Roll One:
Party A finds itself unable to press on with significant progress. Party B has entered the forest.

Day Two Roll Two:
Party A is still having difficuly making progress even with a bonus of 2 to their roll for carrying on along in the same direction. Party B is covering lots of ground within the forest.

Day Two Roll Three:
Party A has pushed on along it's route and made it further into the mountains in the north, they would have gotten a +4 bonus for their continuing travel along the same direction but rolled well enough it did matter. Party B has left the forest.

Day Two Roll Four:
Party A just isn't feeling very lucky and is unable to make it's way out of the mountains. Party B is doing well.

Day Three Roll One:
Party A has made through the mountains and down into the hills where they may find their goal. Party B has made progress but their overall route proved to be too long to beat party A.

Party A took a direct route and found it to be difficult but not difficult enough to thwart victory. Party B made some small benefit from their guide but took too wide route to beat their competitors (maybe they can waylay the other party and take the loot?).

This race may have indeed played differently if there were random encounters along the way and there were potential consequences to failed travel rolls beyond a lack of meaningful progress.

Alternative Hexcrawl Concept

Here's a map for an alternative hexcrawl technique I'm knocking about:



Each hex side has a score for getting out of the hex in each direction (along a hex side). A party will have a given number of rolls each day/outdoor turn based on their movement rate and can only leave a hex if they get or beat the required roll (for now I'm considering 2d6 to be the roll). Multiple attempts to go in the same direction could get a bonus. Any number of modifiers could be applied to the roll such as travel mode, weather, guides, racial abilities and class abilities along with clever planning.

Just a notion for now but one that I felt like sharing as it looks like it could expand on the nature of hexcrawl play by having routes and specific terrain having an impact on play.

Your Highness [Movie Review]

The wife and I wanted a few yucks and kid free time so we went to see "Your Highness" yesterday. It's a fantasy comedy where bad boy/lazy Prince Thadius goes off to help his handsome dashing brother Prince Fabios save his lady love from being violated an evil sorcerer that has kidnapped her. Pretty straight up fantasy flick plot with a twist.

It's a gross, juvenile, sophomoric movie that technically is an awful lot like a third or so of the D&D games I encountered as a teen and not too far removed from the occasional session as an adult. It's not an un-enjoyable film , the wife liked it more then I did. The ever present low-brow humor is amusing but just barely there were only a few big laughs that I enjoyed and I suspect they were more guilty laughs from recollections of D&D games past.


Is it worth the price of a movie ticket? Maybe, as long as your expecting piggy sex jokes,potty humor and stoner jokes in a fantasy medieval setting with good acting, respectable effects, graphic gore, nudity and good costuming.

Overall rating: me: C- wife: B- (going in expecting piggy-teen comedy)
It's not Cherry 2000 bad.

A little less serious

No game tonight so, instead of spending my time on last minute game prep, some writing or anything overtly productive I've been doodling. I was drawing on my baby boy's wall (he has a big pad of paper in one spot) and whipped up a knight not too different from the fellows here and went to work whipping up a few on my computer and knights aren't cool without a dragon so the green fellow was added into the mix.

Interesting Hireling Choice

in my regular game the PC's have found themselves wintering in the largest city in the region and are doing a bunch of shopping, tavern-crawling and real estate shopping to get themselves established.

One of the PC's has hired himself a lackey to follow him about and "assist him" with his biological needs, for 3 s.p. a day.



Detailed and realistic role-playing is always rewarding and uplifting.

The Naked Warrior or Diapers in the Dungeon

Mythmere posts here in Diaper, Helmet, ADVENTURE on a cool Erol Otus pic that appeared on the back of the AD&D module White Plume Mountain that seemingly has a fighter wearing a horned helmet and a diaper . A simple mechanic is posted that suggests fighters are always considered to be of an AC equal to that of chainmail even when sub-optimally armored (like in a diaper and a helmet) to support the sword and sorcery naked warrior look.

Sure there were times in real life when naked warriors charged into combat and it unnerved foes but generally an under armored warrior is a dead warrior. The following are a few rule suggestions to encourage the diaper wearing dungeon bravo without giving them constant undue advantage in combat.


The I'm A BAD-ASS EXP rule-

Give fighters a 10% exp bonus for adventuring for an entire session wearing no more armor then a helmet and a shield.
If the fighter can survive long enough to become a better fighter by gaining a level ahead of his better armored colleagues he's a better fighter in the mammoth-hide diaper and horned helmet.
(NOTE: in some adventures and settings this may back-fire and induce reaction penalties and even an exp penalty.)

Is this guy nuts, he's naked? rule-

Whenever an npc is facing a foe of equal or greater level who is naked (shields and helms are okay) they must make a morale save or be shaken causing them to lose initiative for the next two rounds before they can gird themselves again for the rigors of battle.


The Agile Banana-Hammock wearing delver rule-

Whenever a virtually naked warrior is unencumbered by additional gear they are far more agile then overburdened and heavily armored fighters. Such fighters may climb walls as well as a thief of 1/2 their level and are +2 to save vs attacks where agility and lighting reflexes may save the day. Any degree of encumbrance that inflicts a penalty in your favorite game system causes the loss of this bonus.


The Wooing the wicked witch in your underwear rule-

The naked or nearly naked warrior is better at swaying the attentions of the potentially amorous gaining a 2 point bonus (or it's equivalent compared to a 2d6 roll) to reaction adjustment. Such characters are also more likely to be captured for...uh..."interrogation" later as opposed to being slain outright. Those who make no RPG attempts along amorous line lose this advantage.


Uh, pardon me miss but I can see your breasts rule-

In some lands men-folk are foolishly fascinated by breasts or are prone to underrate the competence of women warriors. When confronted by a nearly naked female warrior a male warrior must make a wisdom check (or save) or fail to judge the danger they are in. One who fails such a check is unable to act meaningfully for a round on confronting the nearly naked female warrior and will be -2 to hit her until they see her kill an ally or are themselves harmed for more then 1 pt of damage.

Really Brief and Simple Critical Hits

Here's a simple critical hit system of brevity and non-damage amplification.

Simple critical hits:
For any strike that can hit on a d20 roll of 19 or 20- roll 1d6 and consult the chart:

1-2: Staggered- The blow knocks the defender off balance. Additional attacks against the target this round are at +2 to hit and the foe suffers a -2 to any attacks they have left this round. The defender may be pushed 10' by the attacker (who may follow up as free movement) if the the attacker is of at least equal strength or of a larger size.

3-4: Stunned- The blow stuns the foe who is unable to act meaningfully or move under their own direction for the remainder of this round and all of the next round. An ally may help the defender move 1/2 their movement rate. The defender may not cast spells or use magical devices while stunned and attackers may get bonuses to their attacks vs a stunned defender.

5-6: Clobbered- the blow wounds the defender so as to reduce their movement rate by 1/2 and cause them to suffer a -4 penalty to attacks and saves until the wound is healed.

Some foes are immune to specific effects, or may get a save vs some critical hits.

For a really cool use of other RPGs properties in D&D-like games as they relate to Critical Hits (and other areas) check out this post on using Boothill rules in D&D.