Tarnhelms Terrible Tome 1.0

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TarnhelmsTerrible Tome

House Rules For 0e Games


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Tarnhelms Terrible TomeHouse Rules For 0e Games

Version 1.0 (March 17, 2013)Copyright 2013 Randall S Stukey

All Art is in the public domain.

Compatible with Swords & Wizardryand other 0e-based games

Swords & Wizardry, S&W, and Mythmere Games aretrademarks of Matthew J . Finch. Neither Randall Stukey norRetroRoleplaying.com are affiliated with Matthew J . Finch,

Mythmere Games or Frog God Games..


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TableofContentsIntroduction ........................................................................................................... 1

Special Terminology ........................................................................................ 2

Characters ............................................................................................................ 3

General Stat Bonus ......................................................................................... 3

Arcane Caster Special Abilities ........................................................................ 3

Divine Caster Special Abilities ......................................................................... 4

Backgrounds .................................................................................................... 5

Skills ................................................................................................................ 5

Alignment ......................................................................................................... 7

Body Points, Hit Points, and Healing ............................................................... 8

Magic .................................................................................................................. 11

Spell Knowledge ............................................................................................ 11

Direct Spell Casting ....................................................................................... 11

Ritual Magic ................................................................................................... 12

Counterspells ................................................................................................. 13

Combat ............................................................................................................... 14

Combat Stance .............................................................................................. 14

Critical Hits .................................................................................................... 14

Critical Misses ............................................................................................... 15

Combat Stunts ............................................................................................... 16

Special Combat Situations ............................................................................. 16

Special Shield Defense .................................................................................. 17

Weapon Damage ........................................................................................... 17

Monsters ............................................................................................................. 18

Monster Reactions ......................................................................................... 18

Mooks (aka Cannon Fodder) ....................................................................... 18

Optional Rules .................................................................................................... 21

Character Goals and Personality Traits ......................................................... 21

Strike Speed Initiative and Order of Battle ..................................................... 24Armor for Everyone........................................................................................ 25

Deities and Divine Intervention ...................................................................... 26

Mnemonic Mage Class .................................................................................. 28

OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a ................................................................ 32


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Tarnhelms Terrible Tome -1-

INTRODUCTION

This booklet is full of house rules modern versions of the house rules Ifirst used in my 0e campaigns in the 1970s and still use today. Whileeach GM may certainly pick and choose which rules will be used in theircampaigns, many of the rules sections assume that other rules in thistome are being used. For example, the magic rules assume the Hit Pointand Body Point rules are in use as using hit points as spell points/fatigueonly makes sense if the Hit Point and Body Point rules from this tome arealso in use.

The rules in this booklet (or at least those the GM elects to use) overrideany contradictory rules in the 0e rulebooks. In cases of direct conflict, therules in this booklet should be used unless the GM decides otherwise.

There is one completely new rule in this booklet: Special Shield Defense.This rule, in one form or another, has become common in old schoolgame over the past four years. I like it, so my version is included here.

Important Note: The rules in this booklet change the way 0e works inboth major and minor ways. Some people will probably claim that someof the more major changes turn the game into something that is nolonger really 0e. This point-of-view would have been alien to at least90% of the groups of 0e players I was familiar with in the 1970s.

Back then, each 0e campaign was different, often very different, fromother 0e campaigns. Groups borrowed rules from magazines like TheDragon and Judges Guild Journal, from fanzines, from third party

products like Warlock and theArduin Grimoire, and from othercampaigns. To top it off, most campaigns had house rules thatcampaigns GM had thought up. There were no game police declaringcampaigns that used spell points, percentile combat rolls, playing cardsinstead of dice, etc. were not real 0e.

So, if you believe that the rules changes in this booklet would turn agame into not really 0e, dont use these rules. However, please dont

try to convince others that games using these rules would have normallybeen considered not really 0e back in the 1970s when 0e was standardversion of the game -- as that is nothing but revisionist history.


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-2- Tarnhelms Terrible Tome

Special Terminology

Class Groups: These rules refer to various groups of character classesas shorthand to avoid long lists of classes in every rules section. Classesare divided into three major groups: Fighting Classes (those who have alot of training in combat), Arcane Classes (those who focus most of theirtraining in magic), and Specialist Classes (whose training is focused onthings other than combat or magic). There are also two minor groups:Spellcasters and Divine Classes.

Fighting Classes include Fighting-Men, Rangers, Paladins, and Monks.

Arcane Classes include Magic-Users and Illusionists.

Specialist Classes include Clerics, Druids, Theives, Assassins, andBards.

Spellcasters incude any class able to learn and cast spells: Magic-Users,Clerics, Druids, Illusionists, Bards (and Rangers and Paladins in someversions of 0e).

Divine Classes include Clerics and Druids.

Fighter Bonus: Fighting Men have a Fighter Bonus equal to 1 plus theirLevel/4, rounded up. Other Fighting Classes have a Fighter Bonus equal

to their Level/5, rounded up.

Armor Class: Armor class is listed for both Descending AC andAscending AC systems in this form AC: 5 [14] where the number inbrackets is the Ascending AC.


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CHARACTERS

General Stat Bonus

While each stat has a specific set of effects/modifers in the standardrules, many of the rules in this setof house rules also use the followinggeneral stat bonus.

Stat General Stat Bonus3 -3

4-5 -26-8 -19-11 012-14 +115-16 +218 +3

When stat bonus is mentioned in these rules, the general stat bonusshould be used unless otherwise indicated.

Arcane Caster Special Abilities

All Magic-Users and Illusionists (arcane casters) have the followingspecial abilities. All require the use of a special wand hand-made by thearcane caster.

Create Handmade Wand An arcane caster knows how to create thehandmade wand required for arcane special abilities. The wand must be

made by the arcane caster using it to function. Creating the wandrequires a knife, a living tree to cut the wand from, and 12 minus thearcane caster's level hours (minimum of 1 hour) of uninterrupted time.

Magic Dart An arcane caster can shoot a 1d4 dart of magic energyfrom the tip of their handmade wand once per round provided no otheraction is taken. The arcane caster must roll to hit the target normally.Range: short 60; medium 120; long 180. Usable once per round if noother action taken. Requires pointing a handmade wand at the target andcosts 1 HP per use. The visible effects can be whatever the Magic-Userdesires. This does not affect damage, it only adds color to the ability.

Minor Magic Arcane casters can cast minor "everyday/non-combat"magic at will. Attempting something the GM considers abusive fails andcauses the arcane casters wand to explode (doing 1d6 backfire damage


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to the magic-user unless a save is made). Usable once per round if noother action taken. Requires waving a handmade wand. Cost 1 HP peruse.

Some examples: Light a candle or pipe with a flame from the finger tip.

Dust things at first level a minor magic spell might be needed for eachshelf or piece of furniture, while at third level a single spell might dust aroom and at sixth level the magic-user's the entire floor of a house ortower. Tie or untie a knot. Float coins from the magic-users coin purse toa merchant's hand.

Divine Caster Special Abilities

All Clerics and Druids (divine casters) have the following special abilities.

The divine caster must have a holy symbol of his religion in hand to usethese abilities.

Minor Divination - A divine caster may spend 10 minutes in prayer askinghis deity whether or not a specific action would have generally good orgenerally bad results from the deitys point of view. The cleric will havevague feeling of rightness or wrongness. A cleric may do this at mostonce per per day (+1 additional time per day every 5 levels). Example: Acleric wishing to know whether attack a demon temple would have good

or bad results might be told good results even though the clerics entireparty would be wiped out because from the deitys point of view an attackon the temple has a good result as it will interrupt an important ceremonyeven though the cleric and his party are killed in the attack.

Minor Healing Prayers - Immediately after combat, a divine caster maytouch the wounds and pray over a being severely injured in that combat.This costs the divine caster 1 HP and will restore 1d2-1 (0-1) body points

-- or 1d4-1 (0-3) hit points for beings without body points. Even if 0 bodypoints (or hit points) are restore, minor healing prayers will stop anybleeding This may only be done once per being per combat and takesone minute per being. Only damage taken in the current combat can behealed.

Smite - A divine caster may imbue his normal weapon with holy powerallowing it to hit monsters that normally require silver or even magicalweapons to hit. Spending 1 HP before making the attack roll will allow

hitting monsters that require silver (or other special non-magical)weapons to hit. Spending 2HP before making the attack roll will allowhitting monsters that require magical weapons to hit.


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Backgrounds

Characters may select, with the approval of the GM, a one or two wordbackground that represents a broad base of skills and knowledge, e.g.Farmer, Merchant, Desert Nomad, Noble, Shaman, Templar, Thyatian

Mercenary, Ritualist, etc. Backgrounds need not be related to the PCsclass, e.g. a player who creates a deeply religious fighter skilled in thearts of vision interpretation, divination and oration might pick 'Prophet' asa background. Backgrounds may not duplicate a class.

The GM will consider the character's background just as he would thecharacter's class when deciding if a character will succeed with anaction. For example, a character with an Engineer background shouldhave a much better chance of damming a creek or building a bridge overit than a character with a Courtier background.

The word word should be taken loosely. For example, the name of aculture/location should be considered one word even if it is HolyPanamon Imperium Blue Knight of the Holy Panamon Imperium couldcount as two words if such clearly describes a single background in thecampaign world.

Skills

There are no specific skills in 0e. Instead players are expected to thinklike adventurers, tell the GM what they are doing and the GM decides if itwill succeed in the situation, taking into account the characters classesand backgrounds. If the GM decides a random success chance is trulyneeded he may resolve the situation with a roll of his choice or he maycall for one of the following rolls:

Primary Skill Roll: 1d20 + Stat Bonus + Class Level if the character isattempting something directly related to their class or background.

Secondary Skill Roll: 1d20 + Stat Bonus + (Class Level/2, round up) ifthe character is attempting something only loosely related to their classor background.

Minor Skill Roll: 1d20 +Stat Bonus + (Class Level/3, round down) if the

character is attempting something not really related to their class orbackground.

When the GM calls for a skill roll, he will declare the type of skill roll,which stat the skill roll falls under, and any situational modifiers and theplayer will make a skill roll. (The GM should make the roll in secret if


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seeing the result would give the player more information than hischaracter should have.)

Roll higher than the GM assigned Difficulty Class to succeed. Unless theGM rules otherwise, a natural roll of 20 always succeeds for a Primary

Skill Roll. Suggested Difficulty Classes: Easy - 8, Normal - 12, Difficult -16, Hard - 20, Very Hard - 24, Legendary - 28, Unbelievable - 32.

Basic Adventuring Skills: Unless a player specifies otherwise about acharacter at character creation, all characters are assumed to have basicpractical adventuring skills such as maintaining weapons and armor,riding a horse, setting up a camp, swimming, climbing, cooking, first aid,etc., and have a rough idea of the value of common coins, trade goods,gems, and jewels. Success should simply be assumed unless there areunusual conditions.

Languages: All character races speak common. Other intelligent beingsspeak their own languages (20% chance of also speaking common).Beings with a INT over 10 may speak one additional language per pointof INT over 10 (these are in addition to any languages known by race).

Talents (Optional): At level 2 (and every 2 levels thereafter), characters

may select one narrow area of skill where they are better than average:something they are Good at. This talent should be either somethingdirectly related to their class or background -- or something they havespent game time and/or money learning. If the player wishes (and theGM approves), instead of selecting a new talent a talent the character isalready Good at be improved to Expert at at a later even-numberedlevel and a talent the character is Expert at may be improved a finaltime to Master at at yet a later even-numbered level.

Talents let characters choose to be better than average in some specific,limited field. For example, while any character can try to swing fromvines, a character that is Good at: Swinging from Vines is going to bemore successful at it than the average character. The GM will considerthe character's talents just as he would the character's class andbackground when deciding if a character will succeed with an action. Ifyou need to assign numerical benefits to talents for when a success rollis needed, +2 per level is a good place to start for most talents (i.e. Good

at +2, Expert at +4, Master at: +6).


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Alignment

Basic Alignment: There are three basic alignments: Light, Dark, andNeutral. Only intelligent beings have alignment and the vast majority ofthose tend to be neutral. Player Characters should select an alignment

for their characters.

Light: Light aligned characters try to avoid unnecessary harm to othersby their actions or inaction. They often put the good of society/everyoneover the immediate good of themselves and their friends. They areusually willing to help others/society even if doing so is somewhatinconvenient. If given power over others, they tend to use it for the goodof all.

Dark: Dark aligned characters only care about themselves and thosewho are currently useful to them. While they may not go out of their wayto harm others, they do not care if others are harmed as long as theysucceed at their personal goals. They are generally only willing to helpothers/society if they get something they want or need out of it. If givenpower over others they tend to abuse it and use it mainly to helpthemselves.

Neutral: Neutral characters tend to put themselves and their friends first,but will generally not allow others to come to unnecessary harm orinconvenience in order to succeed. They are willing to helpothers/society so long as doing so is not inconvenient. If given powerover others, they tend to use it for good, but they and their friends comefirst.

Converting Published Alignments: Other 0e publications havedifferent alignment systems (e.g. Lawful/Neutral/Chaotic,

Good/Neutral/Evil). In general, Law and Good translate as Light andChaos and Evil translate as Dark. However, GMs should use theircommon sense and knowledge of the beings in question.

Virtues and Vices (Optional): As in real life, each character has virtues(admirable character traits) and vices (not so admirable character traits).Players select six traits from the lists below before play starts. Neutralcharacters must select three from each list. Light aligned characters

must select at least one (but no more than two) vices. Dark alignedcharacters must select at least one (but no more than two) virtues.Players can select virtues and vices not on the list with GM approval.


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Virtues Vices

Academic ArrogantAustere BigotedBold CapriciousCheerful Cowardly

Compassionate EgoisticalCourageous FearfulDaring HatefulDetermined HideboundFair ImpulsiveFaithful InsensitiveFriendly LazyGenerous Manipulative

Gregarious MiserlyHonest PettyHopeful Power HungryIndustrious RudeJ ust Self-CenteredKind SpendthriftPatriotic StubbornThoughtful Thoughtless

Thrifty Vengeful

Players should select virtues and vices they are willing to roleplay whenappropriate. While there is no mechanical penalty for failing to do so,GMs who award XP for roleplaying will likely consider how when thecharacter roleplays his virtues and vices when awarding suc XP.

Body Points, Hit Points, and Healing

Hit Points (HP): Hit Points are determined by charactrer class as in thestandard rules. If Hit Points reach 0, the character is unconscious andbegins to take severe physical injury. Further damage, including anyremaining points of damage the attack that reduced hit points to zero,directly reduces Body Points. Hit Points represent stamina, luck, minorcuts and scrapes, etc. Optional: To avoid confusion, Hit Points may berenamed Fatigue Points.

Body Points (BP): All characters have 20 Body Points. If Body Points

reach 0, the character is dead. Each two points of body damage acharacter has suffered gives a -1 to all attack, success, saving, andsimilar D20 rolls.

Option: Body Points for Fighting Classes equal 20 + (Level/2) (rounddown, maximum 30). Body Points for Arcane Classes equal 20


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(Level/2) (round up, minimum 10). This has fighting classes slowlybecoming tougher while arcane classes lose physical conditioning asthey become more magically powerful.

Recovering Hit Points: All characters recover all hit points after six

hours of total rest. If a character has lost Body Points due to wounds,only 50% of total hit points lost are recovered per six hours of rest.

Healing Body Point Damage: Body points lost recover at a rate equalto the characters CON Bonus (minimum of 1 point regained) per full dayof complete rest. If a character with up to 50% Body Point damage (up to10 points of BP damage if base 20 BP is used) performs more than verylight activity or careful, slow travel during a day, he has a 50% chance oflosing an additional body point. If a character with more 50% of BodyPoint damaged (11 or more points of BP damage if base 20 BP is used)does anything other than rest quietly in bed during a day, he has a 50%chance of losing an additional body point.

Healing Magic: Cure spells or their equivalent no longer affect hit pointson characters (but continue to do so on creatures who only have hitpoints). A Cure Light Wounds (or equivalent) will cure 1d2+1 BodyPoints. A Cure Serious Wounds (or equivalent) will cure 3d2+3 Body

Points. In either case, 1 point will be cured per 10 minutes of rest afterthe spell is cast (up to the maximum the spell will cure), if the rest ininterrupted any remaining points of healing are lost.

Bleeding (optional): A character who has been reduced to 0 hit pointsby weapon or other trauma-related damage will eventually bleed out anddie if their wounds are not bound. A bleeding character must make aSave every minute or suffer one body point of additional damage.Binding wounds takes 1 minute per point of body damage taken, but no

further bleeding rolls are needed (including while the wounds are beingbound). Any healing spell cast on a bleeding character will effectivelystop the bleeding.

Second Wind (Optional): Once per day, characters may regain 20% oftheir total hit points (round up) by resting in a safe place for an hour whileeating a meal. This amount is reduced by 2 hp per point of body damage(to a minimum of 0 hp recovered).

Monster Body Points (Optional): Body Points should generally only beused for player characters and important NPCs. If the GM does not mindthe added complexity, monsters may have Body Points as well. Amonsters Body Points are equal to twice the number of hit dice themonster has. This option is not recommended as it adds a lot of pointless


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GM bookkeeping to every combat. If the GM does not want to use thisoption, but still feels that the addition of Body Points gives playercharacters too much of an advantage over monsters, the GM may simplyincrease the HPs rolled for monsters by twice the number of hit dice themonster has.


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MAGIC

Spell Knowledge

Arcane and divine casters can memorize and cast spells from theirrespective spell lists up to the maximum spell level listed for theircharacter level. Arcane casters record spells they know in spell books.Divine casters record spells they know in prayer books.

Arcane casters start with Read Magic and 1d2 additional first level spells

in their spell book (which must be approved by the GM) and can addmore spells by finding (or buying) them on scrolls or books and copyingthem into his spell book.

Divine casters start with 1d2 first spells in their prayer book (which mustbe approved by the GM) and can add more spells by finding (or buying)them on scrolls or books and copying them into his prayer book.

An arcane caster can memorize up to Level + INT bonus spells and

these spells can be directly cast (others spells may be cast via a castingritual). An arcane caster requires his spell book and 1 hour of time tochange the spells he has memorized.

A divine caster can memorize up Level plus WIS bonus spells and thesespells can be directly cast (others spells may be cast via a casting ritual).An arcane caster requires his spell book and 1 hour of prayer to changethe spells he has memorized.

Direct Spell Casting

Casting memorized spells is direct spell casting. Memorized spells canbe cast very quickly, even in combat. Ritual magic allow a spellcaster tocast any spell recorded in their spell books (even if not currentlymemorized) but requires a time-consuming ritual lasting minutes or evenhours.

Casting Cost: Direct casting a spell of any kind costs Hit Points. Thecost is 1 + the level of the spell being cast if the spell is cast with animplement and 1 + twice the level of the spell being cast if the spell iscast without an implement:


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Spell Level 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

HP Cost withImplement

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

HP Cost withoutImplement

3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19

Although there are ways to reduce the cost of casting spells, the castingcost cannot be reduced below 2 Hit Points.

Signature Spells: Both arcane and divine casters select one signaturespell per spell level from first upward that they prefer to use over anyother. These spells are easier to cast due to familiarity, costing 1 less HPto use. Signature spells are always in memory and do not count againstthe number of spells a caster can memorize.

Implement Use: Spells cast through an implement (a wand or staff for aMagic-User, Illusionist or other arcane caster, a holy symbol for a cleric,druid, or other divine caster) cost less to use. The implement must eitherbe a magic item or be made by the caster (12 hours, wood, and carvingtools needed). The implement must be undamaged and in the castershand at the time the spell is cast.

Combat Casting: In combat, if a character is hit and takes damage (orother effect that could interfere with spell casting like paralysis) beforecasting a spell, the spell fizzles. The fizzled spell costs caster only 50%of the normal HP casting cost of the spell and the caster loses his actionfor the round.

Ritual Magic

Both arcane and divine casters can perform ritual magic to cast spells of

any level (and other special rituals that might be found in old books orscrolls) provided the caster has a written copy of the spell or ritual, anyneeded materials (mainly required by special rituals), and the time andspace needed to perform the ritual.

Performance Cost: Ritual casting of a spell of a level the caster is ableto cast normally takes 1 minute per level of the spell being ritually cast.The HP Casting Cost is equal to casting the spell with an implement(spell level + 1 HPs). Ritual casting of a spell of a level the caster is not

yet able to cast normally takes 10 minutes per level of the spell and coststwice as much in hit points as it would to cast directly. Ritual casting of aspecial ritual takes as long and costs as many HP as the ritual states(that is, the GM assigns these as needed when he creates the specialritual). Multiple casters may participate in a casting a special ritual withthe HP cost of casting divided among them. Spell casters participating in


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a ritual casting of any type may not wear armor or be armed with combatweapons. (Required ritual items like sacrificial knifes do not count asweapons.)

Sacri fices (Optional): One or more beings with human or better

intelligence may be sacrificed during ritual magic. Each sacrifice madeadds 10 minutes to the ritual and provides 10 plus the beings level or hitdice in HP to power the ritual. This amount is tripled if the being is truly awilling sacrifice. Some special rituals may require the sacrifice ofintelligent beings. The sacrifice of intelligent beings is normally againstthe law in civilized societies.

Counterspells

Arcane spell casters have the ability to disrupt other arcane casters byattempting to counter the spell. Casters can attempt to counter any typeof arcane spell; however they get a -1 penalty when countering spellscast by a class different from their class.

The moment that a spell is cast, any caster within range (10 feet perlevel) and who has not yet acted that round may abandon their plannedaction to try to counter the spell. In order to succeed the counteringcaster must make a magic attack roll and beat a DC equal to 20 + (spell

caster's level) at a cost of 3 + the level of the spell being countered inHP. Before rolling they may choose to use their magical energies toimprove their chances of success: for each additional 2 HP spent (foreach 3 HP spent if the caster is of a different class), their roll gains +1bonus.

If an arcane caster was casting a spell and stops doing so to counter aspell, the spell the arcane caster interrupted to counterspell costs the

caster 50% of the normal casting cost in HP


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COMBAT

Combat Stance

Any character able to act may select a combat stance. Any characterwho has not announced their combat stance before initiative is rolledautomatically selects Standard. Combat Stances (and their effects) areFull Defense (Attack: no attack possible; AC: +2 bonus, +4 bonus withshield, +6 bonus with large shield; Strike: -5),Active Defense (Attack: -2penalty; AC: +1 bonus, +2 with shield; Strike: -2), Standard (Attack:

Normal; AC: Normal: Strike: normal),Active Attack (Attack: +1 bonus;AC: -1 penalty; Strike: +1), and Full Attack (Attack: +2 bonus; AC: -2penalty; Strike: +2). Spell casters casting a spell cannot select the FullDefense or Active Defense Stance. The Stance Strike modifier isoptional (and can only be used if the optional Strike Speed Initiative rulesare used).

Critical Hits

A natural 20 that would otherwise hit is automatically a critical hit doingmaximum damage and doing a number of body points damage equal tothe number of damage dice rolled (normally 1). Most monsters do nothave body points, so a critical hit will do maximum damage plus a normaldamage roll to them and cause them to lose their next attack.

Option: Fighting Men (only) do a critical hit on a natural roll of 19 or 20that would otherwise hit.

Critical Hit Special Effects (optional): When an Fighting Classcharacter (or a monster, at the GMs option) has selected the ActiveAttack or Full Attack combat stance for a round and scores a critical hit inmelee combat during that round, one of the following special effects maybe imposed at the attackers option:

Trip: Target is knocked prone.

Disarm: Target's weapon or shield is knocked away in a randomdirection a number of feet equal to half the damage you dealt.

Reposition: Force your target to move to a new location of yourchoice, up to a number of feet equal to half the damage youdealt (plus attackers STR bonus). Attacker may move with targetif attacker desires.


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Shield Slam: If wielding a shield, bludgeon your target with it,dealing damage as a shield bash. Target is then forced backfrom you a number of feet equal to half the damage dealt by theoriginal attack (plus the attackers STR bonus).

Disorient: Blow leaves your opponent off-guard. Until the end of

his next turn, target is confused. Hinder: Target is briefly slowed, reducing his speed to five feet

until the end of his next turn.

If the movement effect of Reposition or Shield Slam would force thetarget over a cliff, into a pool of dangerous liquid, or the like, the targetgets a DEX save to stop safely at the edge.

Critical Misses

A natural roll of 1 is a critical miss. Unless the optional rule below isused, the only effect of a critical miss is that the attack always fails,regardless of modifiers.

Critical Miss Special Effects (optional): When a Fighting Classcharacter (or a monster, at the GMs option) has selected the ActiveDefense or Full Defense combat stance for a round and an enemyattacking him during that round rolls a natural 1 on their attack roll, one ofthe following special effects may be imposed at the defenders option:

Counterattack: You make a melee attack against your attacker.This is in addition to any other attacks you might make during theround.

Disengage: You dart away from your attacker, moving up to yourmovement, but you cannot engage another by doing so.

Blind: You spit, throw sand, or otherwise attack your enemy'seyes. Until the end of the next round, he is blinded.

Redirect Attack: Your opponent's attack automatically strikesanother creature of your choice within reach of your enemysweapon.

Feint: You quickly feign an attack against your foe. Until the endof his next turn, your enemy is has a negative modifier equal toyour level to all actions.

Steal: You pluck a small unprotected item--usually no morecumbersome than a weighty coin purse--from your foe.


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Combat Maneuvers

At a cost of 1 hit point, Fighting and Specialist classes may adjust theirarmor bonuses, attack bonus, damage done, etc. for an attack to createa combat maneuver. For each -1 a character takes, he may take a +1 in

another area. A Fighting Class may take up to 2 plus Level/3 (round up)in penalties on a single attack roll. A Specialist class may take up to hislevel/3 (round up) in penalties on a single attack roll.

For example, a 5th level fighter (maximum combat stunt penalties of -4)might want to do a great blow causing 4 points extra damage inexchange for reducing his AC until his next action and reducing hischance to hit with the attack. For example, +4 to damage, -2 to AC and -2 to hit would balance the bonuses and penalties.

The GM should require the player using a combat maneuver to describewhat his character is doing and deny any combat maneuvers that do notmake sense in the situation (no tripping a gelatinous cube, for example)or whose bonuses and penalties do not match up well to the playersdescription of the stunt. The GM may some intelligent opponents(including some monsters) may use combat maneuvers.

Special Combat Situations

Opportunity Attacks: Anyone not surprised and with a ready weaponwho is not already involved in a melee combat gets a free attack onopponents trying to move past them (within reach of their weapons) this attack is in addition to their normal attack for the round. If the attackis successful, the opponents takes damage and can move no further thatround.

Ranged Attack into Melee: Shooting or throwing into a crowded meleeis not a good idea: there is a 50% chance you'll hit a friend instead of anopponent. Fighting classes may take -4 to hit to avoid hitting a friend.

Aid Another: A character who can make a melee attack on an opponentengaging an ally in melee combat can help that character attack ordefend by distracting or interfering with an opponent instead of making anormal attack. Make an attack roll against AC 9 [10]. If successful, theally gains either a +2 on his next attack roll against that opponent or a +2

bonus (both are Fighter Bonus +1 if the aid comes from a member of aFighting Class) to AC against that opponent's next attack (aidingcharacter's choice), as long as that attack comes before the beginning ofthe aiding character's next turn. Multiple characters can aid the sameally.


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Grapple: A character can make a grapple attack on an adjacent target.A successful attack roll means they are then grappled with their target.When grappled, both the attacker and the defenders AC becomes 10and neither can make move actions. When grappled, the defender cantmake normal actions and must make opposed rolls (1d20 + PCB)

against the attacker to attempt to break free. As long as the defender isgrappled the attacker can make automatic unarmed attacks on thedefender..

Special Shield Defense

A character with a shield may choose to have it completely absorb all thedamage from any attack (including a critical hit). A non-magical shieldshatters when it does so. A magical shield permanently loses one point

of is magical AC bonus when it does so, becoming a non-magical shieldif its magical AC bonus is reduced to zero.

Weapon Damage

Characters of any class can use any weapon. However, because ofdifferent levels of training, the amount of damage a character can do witha given weapon varies the type of weapon and the wielders class. TheWeapon Damage Table below is used instead of any other weapon

damage given in the rules.

Weapon Damage TableClass Type Light Wpn Medium Wpn Heavy WpnFighting Class 1d6 1d8 1d10Specialist Class 1d4 1d6 1d8Arcane Class 1d4 1d4* 1d6**

*Arcane classes wielding a Quarterstaff using both hands do 1d6

damage.**Arcane classes wielding a heavy weapon do so at -1 to hit.

Magic Weapons: A character only benefits from a magical hit or damagebonus on a weapon if the characters class is able to use the weaponunder the standard class rules.


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MONSTERS

Monster Reactions

Some monsters (like skeletons guarding a tomb) may always attack. Incases where the reaction of the monsters to the party is not obvious, theGM may opt to make a reaction roll for the monsters by rolling 3d6 (andadding any other appropriate modifiers to the roll) and consulting thistable.

Adjusted Reaction Roll Result4 or less Very Unfavorable5-8 Unfavorable9-12 Neutral/Uncertain13-16 Favorable17 or more Very Favorable

Interpretation of the results is left to the GM, however, these generalprinciples may prove helpful. Very Unfavorable means the monsters will

most likely attack unless the odds are overwhelmingly against them.They will not help the characters. Unfavorable means the monsters arehostile and might attack unless they are given a good reason not to.They will not help the characters. Neutral means the monsters areunsure of the party. They are not likely to attack immediately, but are notfriendly or helpful. Favorable means the monsters are willing to listen andare open to negotiation. They might be willing to be slightly helpful. VeryFavorable means the monsters like the characters and are willing to be

somewhat helpful and are open to working with the party to mutualadvantage.

Note that a form of this rule was in the original 0e, but is not in some 0eretroclones. It is listed as a house rule here because the author feels thatwithout it, many situations will automatically default to combat which isntreally in a good idea in 0e games.

Mooks (aka Cannon Fodder)

Sometimes a GM may want to use a large number of monsters but notwant to carefully track each one. Mooks are cannon fodder monstersthat have 1 hit point per hit die, never make a saving throw, and alwaysrun away or surrender if the battle is obviously going against them. Anyhit from a PC or NPC (any being with a class level) will likely kill a mook,therefore the GM can simply rule any mook hit is out-of-combat, either


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dead or unconscious. Mooks cannot be told at a glance from normal(non-mook) monsters. Mooks make excellent minions for powerfulleaders as they are very effective against the normal people in acampaign world even if they cannot stand long against PCs and NPCswith class levels.


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Donate to the

RetroRoleplaying Cancer Fundand Get Some PDF Goodies

Many old school gamers know that Randall Stukey, the author of Microlite74and other old school games is trying to raise funds to pay the bills from hiswifes oral cancer treatments and that he worked on the original Microlite74 asway to cope during her recovery from 6 weeks of radiation treatment in2008. Randall and Donna are some of the 40 to 50 million people in the USwho do not have health insurance nor did they qualify for government aid asthey live in Texas and have no children. Donna (successful so far) cancertreatments have cost over $110,000. While some of this has been absorbed

by hospital foundations and the like, they still owe a lot of it. You can donateto the Retroroleplaying Cancer Fund (via PayPal) and help them pay theirbills.

Can You Help Pay the Cancer Bills?

Everyone who donates any amount at all get a password giving them accessto a number of special downloads. Some of the currently availabledownloads include:

Pdf copies of the two issues of The Grimoire Randall published inthe late 1970s (which Randall blogged about here: The Grimoire #1( http://blog.retroroleplaying.com/2009/05/grimoire-1-spring-1978-d-fanzine.html )and The Grimoire #2 (http://blog.retroroleplaying.com/2009/05/grimoire-2-summer-1979-d-fanzine.html )

Pdf copy of The Second Grimoire of Pharesm the Bright-Eyed, a setof house rules for a BECMI campaign Randall ran at a game shop inthe mid-1980s.

A copy of the Players Introduction to the Fourth Campaign Arn(from about 1984)

Microlite74 3.0 Extended Special Edition -- three PDFs designed tobe printed in booklet format from Adobe Acrobat. Artwork is byHkan Ackegrd. The text has been reformatted into a singlecolumn in a large enough font to easily read.

To get access to these downloads and access to a private donor forum whereyou can get advance information on upcoming Microlite74 releases, help

Randall pay the cancer bills by sending a donation in any amount -- small orlarge -- to the RetroRoleplaying Cancer Fund via Paypal at this link:

http://www.retroroleplaying.com/node/153


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OPTIONAL RULES

Character Goals and Personality Traits

The alignment system is a simple way to handle character personalitiesat a very simple level. While alignment is suitable for many types ofcampaigns, a more flexible system is needed for others. If this system isused, the GM will enforce it with Experience Point bonuses for usingthe characters goals and traits in play.

Character Goals: In order to individual characters, each player mustselect four goals from the list below and arrange them in order ofimportance to the character from first to fourth. Goals not on the list maybe selected with prior GM approval. The GM may award bonus XP forgoal achievements during a session. Characters can also earn points byhelping their friends (fellow PCS and associated NPCS) achieve theirgoals, so long as their friends goals do not clash with their own goals.Players may change a goal or change the order of their goals during acampaign with GM approval.

Suggested Goals: (The player must select a particular aspect to stressfor those marked with an asterisk)

Furtherance ofScholarly Studies*

History, linguistics, literature, etc.

Furtherance of Art* Music, architecture, crafts, etc.Furtherance of

Science*

Astrology, engineering, etc.

Wealth Accumulation of treasure or otherwealth

Earthly Pleasures Wine, women/men, drugs, etc.Romance True lovePower over Others Political, religious, in criminal

underworld, etc.Fame Personal renown far and wideRank* On social scale or in institution like

religion or militaryPreservation of theStatus Quo

Prevention of change (ingovernment, religion, socialsystem, etc.)


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Preservation ofNaturePreservation of Order Prevention of breakdown of law

and orderComradeship Establishment and maintenance of

friendshipsRisk Tasking Taking physical. financial, or

spiritual risksCommercial Business Setting up and running profitable

businessesCollecting* J ewelry, antiques, weapons. Etc.

(for pleasure of ownership, not foractual use)

Religious Service Serving religions and GodsBattle Glory Winning renown in battleImage Cultivation Adopting a distinctive appearance

and style to impress othersFreedom Preservation of individual

freedomsChivalry Mercy, fairness, compassionHonor Duty to liege, family, friends, or

own dignityMystic Power Finding spells, magic items, etc.

for own usePatriotism Acting in countrys best interestDiscovery Bringing new knowledge to own

civilizationExperience Wonders Travelling through strange lands,

other planes, etc.Intrigue Political/Social secret scheming

and plottingMaterialism Spending money on displays of

wealth: manors, castles, uselessexpensive items, etc.

Welfare of OthersResponsibility Desire to carry out duties, take

care of charges, etc.Expansion of

Civilization

Into new lands, etc.

Wanton Destruction Desire to destroy things for thepleasure of destroying

Cruelty Desire to cause pain in othersPersecution of Evil Evil as defined by your culture or

religion


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Competition Desire to compete forcompetitions sake

Personal Feats The do it because its there spiritCreation* Make magic items, works of art,

etc.

Self-Discipline Controlling ones behavior andemotions

Trickery* Thwarting authority, playingpractical jokes, etc.

Character Personality Traits: In order to further individualizecharacters, players must select three of the following Personality Traitsfor their character. Personality Traits other than those listed may be used

with prior GM approval. Players should be careful not to select traits thatthey are not interested in playing or that strongly conflict with their goalsor religion (unless that is what the player wants). Players should also tryto avoid selecting conflicting Personal Traits for their characters. If suchtraits are selected (for example, the first two on the list below), thenegative trait (passion for drink, in this case) is applied to the characterwhile the positive trait is directed toward the behavior of others whichtends to make the character a hypocrite.

Suggested Personality Traits:True passion for alcoholic beveragesDisapproves of drunken waysTrue passion for gamblingDisapproves of gamblingEnjoy a good public brawl and will start one given a good reasonDisapproves of public brawlingTrue passion for members of the opposite sexDisapproves of lewd and/or flirtatious behaviorBraggart who exaggerates his/her deedsModest about own deeds and disapproves of braggingGourmet who will not tolerate poor cuisineGlutton who will eat just about anything and think it greatRather crude and rough mannersExcellent manners, cannot tolerate bad mannersWill lie when it suits his/her needsTruthful character who does not tolerate falsehood

Grasping and greedyMiserly and begrudges spending moneySpendthrift whose money never lasts longTends to forgive (or forget) personal insults and injuriesTends not to forgive or forget personal insults and injuries, and alwaystries to get even sometime


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Social snob who demands due respect from his/her social inferiorsSocial egalitarian that places little worth in social class differences whena person has shown his/her worthCharacter will not kill except in self-defense (and only after all else hasbeen tried and has failed)

Sexist who belittles the abilities of the opposite sex.Mild prejudice against a specific race or class (belittles their abilities)Overconfident of own abilitiesLittle confidence in own abilitiesMild phobiaAlways optimisticAlways pessimistic

Strike Speed Initiative and Order of Battle

Initiative: Roll 1d20 for initiative for each side. The side with the higherroll gets a +5 to strike speed for the round. Spell casters casting a spellmust declare the spell being cast and its target before initiative is rolled.

Strike Speed: Characters and monsters act in order of their strike speedfrom high to low. Base Strike Speed is determined by their action type inthe table below. Characters/Monster add +5 to the Base Strike Speed iftheir side has initiative. Fighting Classes add their Fighter Bonus.

Monsters add one-half their hit dice, rounded down if the GM classesthem as fighters. (Ties in Strike Speed are resolved by CharacterLevel/Monster Hit Dice, with the higher acting first.) The Strike modifierfrom a characters combat stance is added if the GM use this option.

SS Weapon/Attack Action

1 Read Scroll2 Cast Spell

3 Short Length Weapon4 Medium Length Weapon5 Long Weapon6 Very Long Weapon7 Pole Arms8 Missile Fire/Arcane Blast9 Breath Weapon10 Glance


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Armor for Everyone

All character classes can wear armor; however, wearing armor hasnegative effects on the abilities of some classes.

Base Armor Class: Each class has a base armor class that is in effectanytime the character is conscious and not tied up to the point they can'tmove at all. This base armor class takes into account the character'scombat training which allows him to dodge and parry blows.

Fighter -- Base AC of 5 [14]Paladin/Ranger -- Base AC of 6 [13]Cleric/Druid/Bard -- Base AC of 7 [12]Thief/Assassin -- Base AC of 8 [11]Magic-User/Illusionist -- Base AC of 9 [10]

Any character that is unconscious or heavily restrained has a Base AC of9 [10]. Other classes should be slotted in on the level of the characterthat makes the most sense. ONLY the fighting man should get a BaseAC of 5 [14], however. Other fighter classes/subclasses should come inon the Paladin/Ranger line at best. The Monk is a special case. whileMonks cant use armor as their training replaces it, the AC by levels

given in the monk class chart simply need to be replaced, starting withAC 6 [13] instead of AC 9 [10].

Armor: Armor adds to the character's Base AC when worn. Armor mayhave side effects for some classes.

Light Armor: +1 to AC. Magic-Users and Illusionists cannot cast theirhighest level of spells known while wearing Light Armor.

Medium Armor: +2 to AC. Magic-Users and Illusionists cannot cast theirtwo highest levels of spells known while wearing Medium Armor. Thiefabilities are halved while wearing Medium Armor.

Heavy Armor: +3 to AC. Magic-Users and Illusionists cannot cast theirthree highest levels of spells known while wearing Heavy Armor. Thiefabilities are unusable while wearing Heavy Armor.

Shield: +1 to AC, only when character is conscious and mobile. Magic-Users and Illusionists cannot cast their highest level of spells knownusing a shield -- if they are using a shield and armor the shield adds 1 tothe levels of spells they cannot use.

Examples: An unarmored average DEX fighting man is AC 5 [14]. The


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same fighting man in plate armor and using a shield would be AC 1 [18].

An unarmored average DEX 10th level wizard would be AC 9 [10] andcould cast spells normally. If that tenth level wizard wears chainmail, shewould be AC 7 [12] but would not be able to cast any of her 4th or 5th

level spells. A 1st through 4th level magic user wearing chainmail wouldnot be able to cast any spells at all.

Deities and Divine Intervention

Characters will find it helpful to follow one of the gods. Although Clerics,Druids, and Paladins have special access to the deities, other classesmay receive advice and assistance at times as well. A character mayselect any deity (or pantheon in some campaigns) to follow from the

campaign allowed by the GM.

Divine Intervention: Deities will occasionally assist their followers whenpetitioned for aid. There is a chance of angering the deity and a strongpossibility that the deity will not deign to take an interest in mortal affairsat that time. The petitioner may thus receive aid, suffer harm, or get noresponse at all. Petitioning for divine intervention more often than once aweek results in automatic retribution.

Petitioning for divine intervention can be done at any time provided thecharacter is capable of thought. A d100 roll on the appropriate tableusing the column for the characters level below will determine the result.Clerics, Druids, and Paladins add 5 to their level before consulting thechart.

Greater DeityResult 1-5 6-10 11-15 16-20 21+

Retribution 01-80 01-70 01-60 01-50 01-40No Effect 81-95 71-90 61-85 51-80 41-70Intervention 96-00 91-00 86-00 81-00 71-00

Major DeityResult 1-5 6-10 11-15 16-20 21+Retribution 01-70 01-60 01-40 01-30 01-20No Effect 81-90 61-80 41-70 31-60 21-50Intervention 91-00 81-00 71-00 61-00 51-00

Minor DeityResult 1-5 6-10 11-15 16-20 21+Retribution 01-60 01-40 01-30 01-20 01-15No Effect 61-85 41-75 31-65 11-55 16-45Intervention 86-00 76-00 66-00 56-00 46-00


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Demi-GodResult 1-5 6-10 11-15 16-20 21+Retribution 01-50 01-30 01-20 01-10 01-05No Effect 51-80 31-65 11-55 11-45 06-35Intervention 81-00 66-00 56-00 46-00 36-00

Characters may make an offering to their deity before rolling for divineintervention. All offerings musty be in the possession of the petitioner atthe time of the request (deities do not accept IOUs). This table lists thedie roll modifier for various types of offerings:

Offering Die Roll ModifierTreasure (1000gp) +1Each Potion +2Magic Weapon/Armor +BonusMagic Scroll (per spell) +2Magic Ring, wand, or rod +5Magic Staff +10Miscellaneous Magic item +10Minor Artifact +15Minor Artifact +25Accept Minor Quest +10

Accept Major Quest +20Intelligent Being Sacrificed +Level or HD

Only evil deities accept the sacrifice of intelligent beings. A minor questwill take 4 to 8 months. A major quest will take 1 to 3 years. The questwill be imposed by the deity (and need not involve actual questing).

There is an additional modifier of -15 if the character does not regularlydonate at least 10% of income to the deitys temple. Characters who

ignore their deity except when in need of help suffer a die roll modifier of-10 to -30 as determined by the GM.

If the result is intervention, the deity will do the minimum needed toanswer the request. For Demi-Gods, the maximum would be about theability of a limited wish spell. For Minor Deities, the maximum would beabout the power of a single wish spell. For Major Deities, the maximumwould be about the about ability of several wish spells. There is no

effective limit for what Greater Deities can do.

If the result is retribution, the petitioner takes his level in D6 of HPdamage plus Body Point damage equal to the characters level.


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Conversion (Optional): Characters may not willingly change theirallegiance to another deity/pantheon except at a full temple of the newdeity and then only with a favorable reaction roll from the new deityspriests (large donations to the temple will give favorable modifications tothe roll). Lay people accepted by a new god must spend 1d4 weeks (at

their own expense) at the temple learning the basic rituals and dogma oftheir new faith before they can receive any benefits from that faith.Clerics and Druids must spend 1d6 months (plus their level in weeks) insuch study before they can cast divine spells above 2nd level again.Druids can only convert to another nature deity.

Spell Level Availability (Optional): A characters deity may limit thelevel of Divine Spells the character may cast. If the characters deity is aDemi-God, the maximum level of Divine Spells the character has accessto is 5th level. If the characters deity is a Minor Deity, the maximum levelof Divine Spells the character has access to is 6th level. If the charactersdeity is a Major or Greater Deity, the maximum level of Divine Spells thecharacter has access to is 7th level.

Special Spells by Deity (Optional): Deities may not offer all of thestandard Divine Spells (Cleric) to their clerics. They may simply notprovide some of the standard spells, substitute special spells for some of

the standard spells, or even add additional spells to the standard spells.

Mnemonic Mage Class

The Mnemonic Mage is a variant magic-user class based on the magesin J ack Vances early Dying Earth stories. While 0e magic-users werevery loosely based on the same thing, the Mnemonic Mage class tries tobe a bit closer to the original source material while still using the

standard magic-user spell lists.

The Mnemonic Mage is a mysterious figure, a student of ancient arcanepowers lost to the modern world.Like the standard magic-user, aMnemonic Mage is usually cloaked in robes woven with mysticalsymbols and can be devastating opponents. Also like the standardmagic-user, they are usually physically weaker than other adventuringclasses, and are untrained in the use of armour and weapons. Unlike amagic-user, a Mnemonic Mage casts spells by forciably impressing

ancient incantations into their mind which must retain them by sheermental force. They cast magic by releasing the spell from their mind. Thespell fades from their mind and takes effect in the world. While a normalperson would go mad from trying to retain even one or two weakmnemonic spells in their mind, a high level Mnemonic Mage can hold 6or more powerful spells in their mind at one time. Compared to a


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standard magic-user, a Mnemonic Mage has fewer spells available tocast, but they tend to be more powerful.

Prime Attribute: Intelligence, 13+ (+5% experience bonus)Hit Dice: 1d4 (Gains 1 hp/level after 11th level.)

Armor/Shield Permit ted: NoneWeapons Permitted: Dagger, staff, and darts (or by class)Race: Only elves, half-evles, and humans may become MnemonicMages.

Mnemonic Mage Class Abili ties

Spell Memorization: A Mnemonic Mage has a number of memory slotsto hold spells equal to his level plus one. A first level Mnemonic Magetherefore has 2 memory slots while a tenth level Mnemonic Mage wouldhave 11 memory spells. A Mnemonic Mage memorizes spells by readingthem in his spell book and forcing them into his mind. The amount oftime and effort this takes depends on the class of the spell. Each class ofspell requires a different number of memory slots to hold the spell andtakes a specific amount of time and energy (HP cost) to memorize.

Spell Class

Memory

Slots

Time to

Memorize*

HP Cost to

MemorizeCantrip** 0 5 minutes 1 HPMinor 1 10 minutes 2 HPLesser 2 20 minutes 4 HPGreater 3 30 minutes 8 HPExtraordinary 6 60 minutes 14 HPMost Extraordinary 12 120 minutes 20 HP

* A Mnemonic Mage must spent at least one hour of time studying his

spell books to memorize any spells. Therefore, while it only takes 10minutes to force a single minor spell into memory, if that is the only spellthe Mnemonic Mage wishes to memorize, it still takes him one hour to doso.

** The Cantrip spell is special. While it takes no memory slots, aMnemonic Mage can only hold a number of Cantrip spells in memoryequal to his Intelligence. The Cantrip spell is known by all Mnemonic

Mages and casting the Cantrip spell has the effect of either one use ofthe Minor Magic or Arcane Blast magic-user special ability. A handmadewand is not required.

Spell Lists: The Minor spell class includes spells from the first andsecond level magic-user spell list. The Lesser spell class includes spells


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from the third and fourth level magic-user spell list. The Greater spellclass includes spells from the fifth and sixth level magic-user spell list.The Extraordinary spell class includes spells from the seventh and eighthlevel magic-user spell list. The Most Extraordinary spell class includesspells from the ninth level magic-user spell list.

Spell Books: A Mnemonic Mage can only memorize spells he haspersonally studied and copied into his spell books. If he is copying thespell from the books of another Mnemonic Mage, it only takes one weekto study and copy the spell. If he is trying to add a spell from a standardmagic-users books or scrolls, he must study the spell and try to convertit to mnemonic form before he can copy it into his spell book. Thisconversion process takes the Time to Memorize (in days instead ofminutes) and requires a successful INT-based primary skill roll against aDF equal to 10 plus twice the spell level of the magic-user spell beingconverted. If successful, the new mnemonic form of the spell can bestudied and copied into the Mnemonic Mages spell book in the usualmanner. If unsuccessful, the Mnemonic Mage can try again once he hasgained at least one level.

First level Mnemonic Mages start with a spell book holding the Cantripspell and 3 minor spells, 2 lesser spells, and 1 greater spell. The player

may select two of the minor spells from those the GM allows wereavailable to the mage during his apprenticeship, the others are selectedby the GM by whatever method he wishes.

10% of the arcane scrolls and spell books found as random treasureshould contain spells in mnemonic form. These items are useless to astandard magic-user.

Spell Casting:To cast a memorized spell, all the Mnemonic Mage needs

to do is to recite it. This releases the spell from his memory and causes itto take effect. Once cast, the spell is no longer in memory. A MnemonicMage cannot cast spells through ritual magic although he may performspecial rituals (that do not duplicate spells) through ritual magic.

Memory and Lore: Due to the training required to hold spells in memorya Mnemonic Mage can set easily memorize long passages of speech orwritten text. As they must study ancient history and civilizations, they are

storehouses of historical information, and can often identify legendaryand magic items that appear in old tales.

Saving Throw Bonus: If using the single saving throw system fromS&W, Mnemonic Mages gain a bonus of +2 on all saving throw rollsagainst spells, including spells from magic wands and staffs.


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Mages Tower (11th): While a Mnemonic Mage often builds astronghold for himself or herself to house their libraries and laboratoriesvery early in their career, at 11th level, a Mnemonic Mage gains the titleof Mage. At this point, assuming they have a stronghold, they willbegin to attract a mixed bag of mercenaries, strange servants (some with

odd abilities and deformities), and even a few monsters, perhaps. Thismotley crew will swear fealty to them and serve them with whateverloyalty the Mage can inspire.

Table: Mnemonic Mage Advancement

Level

ExperiencePointsRequired

for Level

Hit Dice

(d4)

S&WSaving

Throw*

Memory

Slots1 0 1 15 22 2,500 2 14 33 5,000 3 13 44 10,000 4 12 55 20,000 5 11 66 35,000 6 10 77 50,000 7 9 8

8 75,000 8 8 99 100,000 9 7 1010 200,000 10 6 1111 300,000 11 5 1212 400,000 11+1 hp 5 1313 500,000 11+2 hp 5 1414 600,000 11+3 hp 5 1515 700,000 11+4 hp 5 1616 800,000 11+5 hp 5 17

17 900,000 11+6 hp 5 1818 1,000,000 11+7 hp 5 1919 1,100,000 11+8 hp 5 2020 1,200,000 11+9 hp 5 21

21++100,000per level

+1hp/level 5 +1/level

* Ignore not using the single saving throw system from S&W.


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OPENGAMELICENSE

VERSION

1.0A

The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000Wizards of the Coast, Inc ("Wizards"). All Rights Reserved.1. Definitions: (a)"Contributors" means the copyright and/or trademark owners who havecontributed Open Game Content; (b)"Derivative Material" means copyrighted materialincluding derivative works and translations (including into other computer languages),potation, modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation,abridgment or other form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted;(c) "Distribute" means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display,transmit or otherwise distribute; Open Game Content" means the game mechanic and

includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content doesnot embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and anyadditional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and meansany work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works undercopyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) "Product Identity" meansproduct and product line names, logos and identifying marks including trade dress;artifacts; creatures characters; stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue,incidents, language, artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses,concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or audio representations;names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, teams,personas, likenesses and special abilities; places, locations, environments, creatures,equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs;and any other trademark or registered trademark clearly identified as Product identity bythe owner of the Product Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content;(f) "Trademark" means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by aContributor to identify itself or its products or the associated products contributed to theOpen Game License by the Contributor (g) "Use", "Used" or "Using" means to use,Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create Derivative Material ofOpen Game Content. (h) "You" or "Your" means the licensee in terms of this agreement.2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a noticeindicating that the Open Game Content may only be Used under and in terms of this

License. You must affix such a notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. No termsmay be added to or subtracted from this License except as described by the License itself.No other terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content distributed usingthis License.3.Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate Your acceptanceof the terms of this License.4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License, theContributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license with theexact terms of this License to Use, the Open Game Content.5.Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing original material asOpen Game Content, You represent that Your Contributions are Your original creation

and/or You have sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License.6.Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion of thisLicense to include the exact text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content

You are copying, modifying or distributing, and You must add the title, the copyright date,and the copyright holder's name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original Open GameContent you Distribute.7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as anindication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed in another, independent


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Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute achallenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used

in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that ProductIdentity.8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly indicate whichportions of the work that you are distributing are Open Game Content.9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions ofthis License. You may use any authorized version of this License to copy, modify anddistribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this License.10 Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy of theOpen Game Content You Distribute.11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game Contentusing the name of any Contributor unless You have written permission from the Contributor

to do so.12 Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of thisLicense with respect to some or all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order,or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected.13 Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all termsherein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. Allsublicenses shall survive the termination of this License.14 Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provisionshall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable.

15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE

Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors

J onathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan,Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, J ohn D. Rateliff, Thomas Reid, J ames Wyatt, based onoriginal material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.Microlite20 2006, Robin V. Stacey ([email protected])M20 Hard Core Rules 2008, Alex ShroderMicrolite74 2008, Randall S. StukeySwords & Wizardry 2008. Matthew J . FinchSwords & Wizardry: Whitebox 2008. Matthew J . Finch Authors Matt Finch and MarvBreigLabyrinth Lord 2007-2009, Daniel ProctorDark Dungeons published 2010, no copyright is asserted on the original text found in thiswork.Microlite74 2.0 2009, Randall S. StukeyMicrolite75 2011, Randall S. StukeyMicrolite74 3.0 Extended 2011, Randall S. StukeyMicrolite74 3.0 Companion I 2011, Randall S. StukeyMicrolite74 Swords & Sorcery 2012, Randall S. Stukey

Tarnhelms Terrible Tome 2013, Randall S. Stukey[End of License]

This product is 100% Open Game Content except for ProductIdenti ty, as per the Open Game License above. Product Identi tyincludes Randall S. Stukey, Tarnhelms Terrible Tome, and allillustrations and art.


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Tarnhelms

Terrible TomeTarnhelms Terrible Tome is a set of house

rules for the original 1974 (0e) version ofthe worlds most popular tabletop fantasyroleplaying game (and modern clones, likeSwords & Wizardry). These house rules aremodern renditions of the house rules theauthor used with his original edition gamesin the 1970s.

Some of house rules included:

A simple skills system basedon class and background instead of lists ofskills

A Hit Point/Body Point systemwhere Hit Points represent fatigue andBody Points represent actual wounds.

Ritual Magic

An alternate alignment system

Critical Hits and Critical misses A class based weapon damage

system that ends class weapon restrictions.

An optional Armor system thatends class restrictions on wearing armor

An optional class: the MnemonicMage

Optional Divine Interventionrules

This digest-sized edition ofTarnhelmsTerrible Tome is designed to be printeddouble-sided using the booklet-printingfeature of Adobe Acrobat, the pages can befolded and stapled to create a 0e styledigest-sized booklet.

Published by

RetroRoleplaying.com

Tarnhelms Terrible Tome 1.0

Documents

Transcript of Tarnhelms Terrible Tome 1.0