Houses of Ill Repute

(Pssst. These were stolen from formed in collaboration with Chris over at wayspell.blogspot.com.)

Beneath the streets of the City is the first floor of the Underworld—a section of caverns called the Catacombs.  The Catacombs blend the forces of civilization and the forces of the dungeon together. It was cleared out long ago, so is the closest thing you have to “safe” while in the Underworld (it is, however, not very safe). It is, de facto, where player heroes go to rest and resupply when they’re not ready to make the haul back to the City.   

  

There are no real comforts anywhere in the Underworld, but there are four taverns in the Catacombs that provide succor to the adventuring community. Forgot to get torches while in the City? At the taverns, you can barter for what you need without paying the guilder tax. Need a safe place to set up camp? The taverns will charge you nominal fee to have the comfort of sleeping with adventurers and not imps (though, it’s not necessarily better).   

  

The taverns are institutions. Each guild has “their” tavern. Taverns offer jobs and sponsorship to guilds. If you’re cheap and efficient, they might even comp your drinks.  

  

Taverns are social clubs. When you frequent one of the taverns, you’re making a statement to the other guilds about what you prioritize, what sort of guild you are, what sort of jobs you’ll take, what sort of company you keep.   

  

Stopping at a tavern is basically a fancy Camp phase. You draw on a different random events table. You roleplay a bit differently. But it’s not going back to the City.   

  

Here are the taverns:  

  

The Accords  

The Accords looks like a hut of hay and twigs and sticks, which is a very conspicuous and out-of-place sight in an ossuary. But there it is. An oil lamp sits on a post outside the hut which reads “The Accords.”   

Inside the green-painted round door is a cozy and comfortable pub that, you could swear, is bigger inside than outside. It’s full of mushrooms big enough to sit on, and a long bar with thirteen stools. The bar is banded with beautiful ironwork.   

Private bedrooms are at a premium. They’re found in the cellar, tunneled back into the stone. They’re fine.   

Aunt Alice (sometimes called Aunt Malice) runs The Accords with about a dozen of her children. If you ever think you have a solid count of the children and a handle on who’s who, your efforts are thwarted by a sudden influx of visiting cousins and nephews that make you lose count.   

There is also Maera, the best dog in the world.   

Aunt Alice doesn’t allow nonsense at The Accords. Everybody plays fair or they can leave. She doesn’t mind some rowdiness if you take it outside. Sometimes she’ll join in and whip a new adventurer at leg wrestling.   

No one is sure which accords the inn is named after.  

Drink: Plentiful, good, homemade beer  Food: Will make you fat  Rumors:   

• Bring Aunt Alice ingredients from the Underworld and she'll make you a meal. These meals always have good alchemical properties.   
• Maera the Hound is immortal.   
• Aunt Alice used to have a husband with whom she adventured. He met an unfortunate end, so she retired from delving.   
• Aunt Alice can turn into a troll at will.   
• Some treasure from Alice's adventuring days remains buried inside a secret cave inside The Accords.   

The Manse   

When the Catacombs were being conquered by the templars, Saint Celia drove her spear into the ground and created a holy spring to quench the thirst of the parched athleta mythri. The templars thereafter used the site as a semi-permanent encampment; a toe-hold in the Underworld. When the Church ended the Crusades, the holy site became known as the Manse.   

The Manse is a tavern, but not really. I mean, you can buy food and drink there. You can even sleep there. But its proprietor calls it a shrine, not a tavern. Whatever.  

The Manse is found in a circular cavern, the walls lined with bones (like all the Catacombs). Because of a trick of the airflow or some residual magic, the skulls embedded in the walls seem to be always softly singing and harmonizing with each other. There are seven-hundred and seventy-seven butter candles burning atop the skulls, kept continually lit by the proprietor.   

The keeper of the shrine is a monstrance golem. Inside his frame are several important relics, including the teeth of Saint Celia herself. The proprietor’s name is a Chivalric phrase (which is the norm for Church-golems), Salus Populi Suprema Lex Esto. Suprema Lex is the short form of this name.    

Long tables within the main chamber foster a sense of community among those who frequent the Manse. War stories, boasts, and frequent contests color the conversation around the communal seating. There are no private rooms, but a chamber set off of the main room serves as a general dormitory where you can sleep for a suggested donation.   

Drink: Serves many types of wine  Food: Hearty, but Suprema Lex doesn't have taste buds and sometimes forgets to put seasoning on things  

Rumors:   

• White sorcerers get good luck when making pacts while in the Manse.  
• Dreams you have while in the Manse always come true.   
• Drinking the water of the pool has healthful properties. Bathing in it is even better.   
• The ghost of Saint Celia sometimes appears in the Manse.   
• The Manse is sometimes frequented by the Watch. If they get used to seeing you at the Manse, they'll give you a break while in the City.   

The Lord's Arms  

Once, the Catacombs were guarded by a bloody skeleton of gigantic size. This was called the Crypt Titan. The legend of how he was felled has become adventurer legend—but nobody can really agree on how it happened. Regardless, the giant is now dead, and his skeleton is a tavern.  

The Lord's Arms is the finest and most genteel of all the taverns within the Catacombs. Its entrance is the calcium-pocked skull, mouth agape and large enough to allow even a troll entry without stooping. 

It looks like this

The main chamber of the Lord's Arms is located within the titan's ribcage (all mortared over and closed up, for privacy, aesthetics, and warmth). The heart of the titan is a blazing fire in the center of the room. The fire never needs to be tended and never goes out.   

The staff of the Lord's Arms shroud their faces in black masks. Nobody knows exactly who they are, but each customer rests assured knowing that the staff are bound to the highest oaths of secrecy. Your secrets are their secrets.   

For a membership fee, you can become a patron of the Lord's Arms. Patrons are afforded the right to enter the Inner Room, a library buried further within the recesses of the tavern. Speech of any kind is forbidden within the Inner Room, and patrons value the ability to rest and meditate without interruption. There are several rare and interesting codices within the Inner Room. Patrons also have the exclusive right to purchase some of the well-furnished but very expensive boarding rooms.   Nobody knows who the owner of the Lord's Arms actually is. The staff sometimes refer to the "Senior Patrons." It's not known what it takes to join the ranks of these illustrious elites, or who ranks among their number.   

The giant's sword is driven to the hilt into the ground outside the tavern, and is a historic place for duels  ("Meet me at the Titan's Sword at dawn for satisfaction!").   

Drink: The finest!  Food: The best!  

Rumors:  

• The heart of the titan is a fire elemental. Usually pretty quiet, it can wake up and give cryptic advice or defend the tavern.   
• The staff of the Lord's Arms are all monsters. That's why they hide their faces.   
• The boarding rooms each have their own silver summoning circle within them.   
• To become a patron, you have to mark your name down in a huge tome bound in human skin.   
• The senior patrons sacrifice customers of low birth. They even serve them up in the meals afterwards! That three-course dinner you just ate? It used to be people!  

The Rat Cellar  

A foul stank hole of a place, built into an abandoned prison. The Rat Cellar is full of the bawdy and burlesque, but also the gross and grotesque.   

There's almost no wait staff to speak of. You serve yourself. When you come in, you deposit your coins to purchase your seat and your cup. It's made out of clay and called a "coddle cup." Nobody is quite sure why. You throw the coddle cup to the ground when you leave, shattering it. You'll buy a new one next time.   

The main drink on tap is a primitive liquor called rat's milk. It's awful, but potent.   

Since the Rat Cellar was built out of a former prison, the sleeping rooms are cells. You put your coin in a lockbox and take a key from the wall, if you want to stay. Sleeping in a prison cell is just about the safest you can get in the dungeon--if you're the one with the key.   

There's another locked area called "The Vault." You can store your shit in there.  For a fee, you can get it back. It's considered to be a pretty good place to store your valuables without going to the Church Bank in the City.   

The proprietor of the Rat Cellar is a man named "Deep Delving" Dickie. He was once a pirate. In one of his eye sockets is a rare and beautiful sapphire. Don't ask him about it.   

Drink: Cheap, hard, shit  

Food: Rats, rats, and more rats. Rats on a stick. Rat bisque. Fried baby rat poppers. It's an Underfolk delicacy, you know.   

Rumors:  

• If you die from a barfight, you're dumped into a "bottomless" pit in the back.   
• It's not really bottomless. There's a lot of undead at the bottom of it.   
• The kitchens are run by a gaggle of goblins.   
• If you go into the kitchens, you can see Loose Eustace, Deep Diving Dickie's pet heron. He's drunk on rum.   
• The Rat Cellar has lots of hidden passages and chambers. The main tavern room has at least seven hidden escape routes.   
• The Thieves Guild's headquarters is somewhere in these passages.   
• Deep Delving Dickie's sapphire eye is magical and all-seeing. Whenever you fail to pay for a cup or a key or whatever, he fucking knows it.   
• Dickie is said to have once ventured to the bottom of the Boundless Moat, deep in the Underworld.

OSR Houserules

The Bare Bones

Roll under your attributes to succeed in a check.

If a skill would be relevant for a check, add +2 to the attribute being tested.

Saving throws are attribute checks that you make in a wink of an eye to avoid some catastrophe. Roll under an attribute per normal.

Let it ride. You cannot make a check more than once, unless something significant changes.

Use the Advantage / Disadvantage rules from 5E. They are good. 

If somebody helps you, roll with Advantage. If you fail and something bad happens, you both suffer the consequences.

A roll of 1 is a critical success. You may describe how you perform effortlessly, quickly, thoroughly, or impressively. A 20 is a critical failure. Your failure results in danger, death, or dismemberment.

Several mechanics describe spiraling down dice steps. Dice step down from d20 -> d12 -> d10 -> d8 -> d6 -> d4 -> ended/destroyed/vanished.

The Meat Grinder

A watch (sometimes called an "exploration turn") is an elastic period of time of ~10 minutes. A watch is the basic unit of time when exploring a dungeon. A watch is triggered when the player characters enter a new area, attempt an attribute check, or draw attention to themselves. Saving throws never trigger a watch.

When a watch is triggered, the GM rolls the watch dice.

1: Wandering monster

2-4: Nothing much

5: Torches gutter

6: Mana fluctuation

The watch roll can be modified on the fly. If the watch was triggered by inordinate noise from the player characters, for instance, a wandering monster might be found on a 1-3.

When torches gutter, everybody carrying a light source rolls on their light dice. On a 1-3, the light dice reduces by one step.

When mana fluctuates, all sorcerers concentrating on a spell rolls their concentration dice. On a 1-3, the concentration dice reduces by one step.

Nobody Likes Adventurers 

When you make your boy, smash the templates from the classes and the races together. 

Clerics
Clerics have a pool of faith points equal to their level. The GM may grant a Cleric an additional 1-2 faith points for faithfully following the tenants of their cult. 
Each cleric follows a list of commandments, has a unique favored foe, and has a list of 10 spells that may be granted as miracles. (A few possible cults are here.)
Divine Aid: Drop to your knees and beg your god for aid. Spend a faith point and roll a d6. If you roll a 4, 5, or 6, you can perform one of the miracles of your god. If you fail, your faith is wasted. 
Lay on Hands: Lay on hands and expend a faith point to heal someone. The target rolls their HD and recovers that many hit points (first to Blood, then Sweat). 
Smite: Verbally castigate an enemy while you're smiting them and spend a faith point to deal +1d6 damage; deal an additional +1d6 damage if your enemy is a favored foe of your cult. 

Fighters
Fighters have a pool of tactic points equal to their level. The GM may grant a Fighter an additional 1-2 tactic points for defeating a worthy opponent in combat. 
Tactics: Fighters may spend a tactic point to perform a free maneuver in addition to their turn. Additionally, fighters use a d6 Maneuver Dice instead of a d4. 
Favored Foe: At level 2 and every subsequent level, pick one of the notable monsters you helped defeat in your adventures. Your damage dice are increased by one step against these foes. 

Specialists
Specialists have a pool of luck points equal to their level. The GM may grant a Specialist an additional 1-2 luck points for successfully acquiring ancient or precious treasure. 
Fortune's Favor: Specialists may spend a luck point to roll a saving throw with advantage. 
Highly Skilled: Specialists begin the game with four skills (not two). Whenever they level up, Specialists gain +1 point of training. This may be used for a new skill, or to improve an existing skill. Skills may be trained to a +4 bonus, max. 

Sorcerers
Sorcerers may safely drawn on mana per day a number of times equal to their level. Sorcerers who wish to cast spells who are out of mana may do so, but must make an Intelligence check with disadvantage or trigger a catastrophe. 
Sorcerers can't cast spells if they are encumbered. Sorcerers can't cast spells if they are holding anything in their hands. 
Sorcerers use the spell lists from Wonder & Wickedness. Sorcerers are either generalists or school sorcerers. School sorcerers must choose one school of magic they've specialized in and one which they can never learn. 
Spell Acquisition: Sorcerers begin the game with 3 random spells. School sorcerers roll for these from their school specialty.
Sorcerers must pass an Intelligence check to learn a new spell. If they fail, they may never learn that spell. School specialists always succeed on checks to learn a spell from their school.
Concentration: Sorcerers may have one active spell concentrated on at a time. When the watch dice makes mana fluctuate, a sorcerer rolls their concentration dice. On a roll of 1-3, the concentration dice is decreased by one step. The concentration dice begins on a d8. School sorcerers use a d10 for spells from their chosen school.
Counterspell: Sorcerers may expend a point of mana to protect as many people equal to their level from the effects of a spell. This must be done before damage or saving throw are rolled. For example, a 2nd level sorcerer can spend a point of mana to protect two people from a spell. 

Dwarves
d12 Hit Dice
Favored Attributes: Strength and Constitution 
Goldnose: A dwarf can smell gold. If the dwarf spends time sniffing, he can detect the direction of the largest concentration of gold in the general area. If the dwarf spends time sniffing, he knows definitively the presence or absence of (golden) treasure in the room. 
Handy if Not Handsome: A dwarf can work instead of sleep and feel just as rested. When you camp, you can repair a single item of all notches. If an item is destroyed, though, it's pretty much gone for good. 
Sturdy: A dwarf's Constitution receives a +5 bonus when calculating how much he can carry.

Elves
d8 Hit Dice
Favored Attributes: Dexterity and Intelligence
Ancient Lore: Elves tap into their ancestral memories during the strange, meditative trances they undertake instead of sleeping. When they meditate at night, elves may ask the GM one question of something on the elven akashic record. 
Star Eyes: Elves treat starlight as sunlight. If they can see the stars, they can see as well as they can during the day. This doesn't help in dark, underground dungeons, but is helpful in the wilderness.
Tongue of Beasts and Birds: Elves make study of the languages of animals. When encountering a new type of natural animal, Elves can make an Intelligence check to see if they have studied that animal's tongue, exactly like when exposed to other languages per LotFP rules. Different beast languages are somewhat narrow: Mouse and Rat languages are different, for example (but perhaps in the same language family). 

Halflings
d6
Favored Attributes: Wisdom and Charisma
Lightfoot: If they move carefully, a halfling makes no noise. You move silently without requiring a Dexterity test. 
Lucky in a Pinch: You score a critical success on a roll of a 1 or a 2. Additionally, once per day, you may reroll any d20 that you or an ally rolls. 
Second Breakfast: When you perform a short rest, you may eat as many rations as you wish. Each ration consumed allows you to recover your HD in hit points.  
Sharp Eared: Halflings roll with advantage when testing to see if they are surprised.
Small Fellows: Halflings can't use large weapons. Halflings use medium weapons with two hands. However, they also get a +3 to their armor class due to their small size. 

Humans
d10 Hit Dice
Favored Attribute: Any; humans add +1d4 to any one attribute advancement test they make
Scions of an Ancient House: All humans are sworn in fealty to one of the great houses. When their house words or motto are dramatically appropriate for an action being attempted, they make the roll with advantage. 

Sample Great Houses:
House Ironpax - "Peace Through Strength"
House Crowell - "I Shall Do as I Wilt"
House Svenicus - "Always Loyal"
House Heartsbane - "Eat the Weak"
House Virginia - "Thus Always to Tyrants"

Live by the Sword

Initiative
At the beginning of a combat round, all the players make a Wisdom saving throw. Everyone who wins the saving throw gets to move before the GM. Everyone who loses moves after the GM. 

If there is a surprise attack, the ambushers get to move first every round no matter what. All damage done by the ambushers during the first round of combat bypasses Sweat and goes directly to Blood.

Missiles
To make a missile attack, the attacker tests their Dexterity. This roll is made with a -2 if their target has at least medium armor and -2 if their target is carrying a shield (these penalties can stack). If the attacker succeeds, he rolls his damage dice against the target.

You do keep track of arrows. Every arrow that successfully hits an enemy is lost, as they break off the shaft as they keep fighting. Every arrow that misses can be recovered after combat. There are twenty-four arrows to a quiver!

Melee
To make a melee attack, the attacks tests their Strength and the defender tests their Armor Class. 

• If the attacker succeeds at his test and the defender fails at his test, the attacker rolls their weapon dice against them or may elect to perform a maneuver. 
• If both the attacker and defender fail, the attacker may choose to perform a special maneuver against the defender. 
• If the attacker fails and the defender succeeds, the defender may choose to perform a special maneuver against the attacker. 

Armor

If you are wearing no armor, you have AC 8.
If you are wearing light armor (like leather), you have AC 10.
If you are wearing medium armor (like chain), you have AC 11.

If you are wearing heavy armor (like plate), you have AC 13.

Carrying a shield grants +2 AC.

Weapons
Light weapons, like daggers, deal d6 damage. Medium weapons, like broadswords, deal d8 damage (or 2d4 if wielded with two hands). Heavy weapons, like claymores, deals d10 damage. 

• Swords: Swords use one higher maneuver dice for the Aim, Clobber, and Evade maneuvers. 
• Daggers: By using the Grab maneuver, a dagger can be used to attack Blood directly.
• Axes: If you roll max damage with an axe, you can opt to destroy an opponent's shield.
• Hammers: If you roll max damage with a hammer, your opponent's heavy armor receives a notch. 
• Flails: Flails use one higher maneuver dice for the Disarm and Trip maneuvers. 
• Polearms: You make your attack roll with advantage if you are fighting against someone wielding a shorter weapon than your polearm. 
• Bows: Bows do 2d4 damage. Each dice can "explode." If you roll a 4, roll again and add the total. If you roll another 4, roll again, and et cetera. 
• Crossbow: Crossbows deal d10 damage directly to Blood. They are illegal to own. 

If you dual wield melee weapons, roll your damage dice with advantage. 

Critical Hits and Notches

If an attacker rolls a natural 1 on an attack action, he scores a critical hit. The attack wounds Blood directly, bypassing Sweat (if he hits).  

If a melee attacker rolls a natural 20 on an attack action, his weapon is notched. The damage dice is dropped by one step until it can be repaired.

If a missile attacker rolls a natural 20 on an attack action, his bowstring breaks. He must have a replacement and spend a turn restringing it.

If a defender rolls a natural 20 on a defensive roll, his armor is notched. His AC drops by one point until it can be repaired (to a minimum of 8).

Maneuvers
Several maneuvers give d4 bonuses to subsequent rolls. Just put a pack of d4s in the middle of the table. When a maneuver is used that gives the bonus, pull one from the pile and place it on your character sheet. After it's rolled, put it back in the middle. 

Clobber - You gain a +d4 to your next damage roll.

Disarm - Your target drops one thing that they're holding (their choice). 

Evade - You gain a +d4 to your next armor class roll. 

Feint  - You gain a +d4 to your next attack roll. 

Grab - You hold on to your opponent to try and get them good. Your next attack with a small weapon against a grabbed opponent bypasses Sweat and goes straight to Blood, unless they Shake You Off or damage you first. 

Knockback - Your target is kicked back into a direction of your choice. If this would put them in mortal danger (like falling off a cliff), they get to make a Dexterity saving throw. 

Shake Off - You can cancel somebody's Grab maneuver with this maneuver. 

Trip - Your target can't move away from you next turn. 

Die by the Sword

Each character begins with Blood Points equal to the sides on their Hit Dice. That is, a human with a d10 HD begins with 10 Blood Points, whereas a halfling with a d6 HD begins with 6 Blood Points. 

Each level beyond the first, the player rolls their Hit Dice and adds the result to their pool of Sweat Points. 

Sweat is your ability to dodge away to minimize the brunt of attacks. Attacks remove damage from Sweat first before it hits your Blood. 

Blood measures your frail body's ability to absorb abuse. When attacks damage your Blood, you're getting hurt. 

Shields Shall Be Splintered
You may elect to destroy your shield to absorb all damage from a single attack. 

Dying, Dying, Dead
If you ever drop to 0 Blood, you automatically lose all remaining Sweat. You don't go into "negative" Blood. Whatever drops you to 0 just makes you drop to 0. 

Successful attacks against someone with 0 Blood are a coup de grâce. This causes death. Taking incidental damage in some other way just causes a 0 Blood character to fall unstable (see below). 

When at 0 Blood, you and crawl into a corner and wait for the battle to be over. If you want to do anything more taxing, you need to make a Constitution saving throw. If you succeed, you do the thing and are okay for now. If you fail, you do the thing and fall unstable. 

When you're unstable, you will die quickly if you are not healed. Roll your class's HD. This is how many rounds before you die. 

Stabilizing a dying character can be done with a successful Intelligence check. This check is made with a disadvantage if you're using improvised medical tools (e.g., ripped up cloak vs. herbal poultice). Healing the character back from 0 Blood will also stabilize them. 

Good for What Ails You
When you recover hit points, you first recover your Blood, and then recover Sweat. You can recover hit points in a few ways. 

You can take a short rest and eat a ration. This takes a watch. Roleplay a small campfire scene. Then roll your HD and regain that many hit points. You can take one short rest per day. 

When you take a long rest you bed down for the night. If you eat a ration and have either a fire or a bedroll, you recover some hit points. 

• If you've taken damage to your Blood, heal all damage to Blood and regain a HD of Sweat points. 
• If your Blood pool is already full, you regain all of your Sweat points. 

When you take a long rest, you also regain all of your daily abilities (luck, mana, tactics, etc.).

Dead Weight

When you waddle into the dungeon laden with adventuring gear, you expect to waddle out laden with treasure. 

Each discrete item takes up one inventory slot. Items that take two hands to carry take two inventory slots. Items that can be stacked in the palm of your hand don't take up any and can be written down in the "Bottom of your Bag" section of your character sheet--but you can only carry as many items there as you have space to write. Coins can be stacked 100 to one inventory slot. 

Shields take two inventory slots. Light armor takes up two inventory slots. Medium armor takes three. Heavy armor takes five. There are twenty-four arrows to an inventory slot. 

• You can carry your Constitution score in inventory slots and be unencumbered. 
• If you carry your Constitution + Strength score, you're encumbered. While encumbered, you roll Dexterity checks and saving throws with disadvantage. 
• If you carry more than that, you're morbidly encumbered. You also roll your Armor Class checks with disadvantage. 

Usage Dice

Some items, like torches, rations, or lockpicks, occupy one inventory slot but can be used several times. These items have a usage dice attached to them. 

Torches check usage when the watch dice comes up 5. Rations check usage when you stop to eat for a short or long rest. Lockpicks check usage every time a thief tries to pick a lock. 

Usage dice usually start at d10, but finely crafted items might start at a d12. When you roll your usage dice, a roll of 1-3 indicates that the item is partially used up and drops down to the next dice type. 

From Peasant to King

When players accomplish their quests, they gain XP. 

The entire party shares the same Guild Quest. This is the party's main goal. Adventuring parties will go into the city to get the juiciest job, go out into the wilderness to fulfill the contract, and return to collect payment and drink away their spoils. This is their Guild Quest. 

Each player also has a Side Quest. Side Quests should be able to be fulfilled each session, and each Side Quest is probably unique to the player. At the beginning of the session, each player states what action or deed they want to accomplish that evening. Side Quests should be concrete, actionable, and interesting. "Proving that you're worthy" is too vague. "Challenging the Bandit Leader to a Duel" is a good way to prove that you're worthy, and is both concrete and interesting. 

Guild Quests are overarching goals for the party. Going into the Tombs of Atuan to excavate the sundered Ring of Areth Akebe is a good Guild Quest. Guild Quests should be fulfilled after two or three sessions. 

Side Quests are personal goals for that character. Having a serious conversation with a fellow party member about your faith, finding a clue about your wife's disappearance, finding the source of the undead, avenging a friend--these are good Side Quests. Side Quests should be fulfilled at the end of every session. If you didn't fulfill it this session, make sure you change it to be something attainable at the beginning of the next session. 

When the party completes a Guild Quest, everybody gains 3XP. 

At the end of the session, if you completed your Side Quest, you gain 1XP. 

Level 2 - 3 XP

Level 3 - 7 XP

Level 4 - 12 XP

Level 5 - 18 XP

Level 6 - 25 XP

Level 7 - 33 XP

Level 8 - 41 XP

Level 9 - 51 XP

Level 10 - 62 XP

Level 10 is the max level. By that point, you should have some kingdom to rule or farm to retire to. Let your character bow out gracefully.

Leveling Up

You level up when you have enough XP for a new level and you are in a safe place. You don't level up in dungeons. You level up when you return to the city triumphant. 

When you level up, you gain the following benefits:

• Roll your race's HD. You gain that many additional Sweat points. 
• Gain a new class level. 
• Roll for attribute advancement. 

(I'm not providing specific rules, but I suspect that if the GM is amenable you can take a level in different classes. It should make sense based on how that character has been training and adventuring.) 

Attribute Advancement
When you fail an attribute check or saving throw, put a check next to it, up to a maximum of five. When you level up, erase the checks and roll as many d4s as checks erased. If the resulting total is higher than your current attribute score, increase that attribute by one. 

Your race will give you a bonus dice to your attribute advancement tests. Humans get +1 bonus dice to any one test they wish, whereas the demihumans always get a set +1 bonus dice to two attributes. This can raise the number of maximum dice that you roll up to 6d4. 

From Genesis to Revelation

Ha ha long time no post. That is a good trick I know how to do. Please enjoy my long stretches of silence! 

This post barely qualifies as a break in the radio silence. It is just an idea I had while camping last weekend and wanted to get onto paper. Well, that's basically all this blog is. It's a place where thought abortions go to die. 

In OSR games, quick character generation is a must. Builds are eschewed. Quick and dirty characters spring forth from their birthing sacs in a spray of 3d6 in order/swap one. I love fast character gen, but have always had some mixed feelings about the traditional B/X methods of stat generation. I usually keep a bizarre menagerie of characters that I want to play waiting in the wings. I like to make characters based on other people's characters: kindly uncles, lost lovers, rivals. I tend to sit down at the table with more ideas about what I want to play than the standard rolling method might afford. 

This is a house rule for stat generation in the vein of "the standard spread" ala 3E/5E. It is inspired by my favorite part of Torchbearer's character creation--which is decidedly not quick. 

Based on your race, answer three questions. Write down your attributes accordingly. 

Humans (Fighters, Thieves, Magic-Users, Clerics, et al)

1. When you hear words questioning your honor spoken in haste or anger, do you demand satisfaction or wait for cooler heads to prevail?

• If you demand satisfaction, you have Str 14, Wis 10.
• If you wait for tempers to cool before you deal with the situation, you have Str 10, Wis 14.

2. When the hoards of goblins come screaming towards your village walls, do you take your family to safety or rush headlong to meet them?

• If you retreat with your loved ones, you have Dex 8, Int 14.
• If you heedlessly fight, you have Dex 14, Int 8.

3. Do you spend your evenings boasting and drinking, or quietly preparing yourself for the hard times to come?

• If you spend time boasting and drinking, you have Con 12, Cha 13. 
• If you you quietly prepare, you have Con 13, Cha 12. 

Special: Fighters gain Str +1, Magic-Users gain Int +1, Thieves gain Dex +1, and Clerics gain Wis +1. 

Dwarves

1. What is best in life? The acquisition of wealth or pride in the works of your hands?

• If you think gold is best, you have Con 15, Wis 13. 
• If you most love your own crafts, you have Con 13, Wis 15. 

2. When the dragon came and stole the wealth of your hold, did you wish to seek revenge or rebuild?

• If you swore revenge, you have Str 14, Int 10. 
• If you sought to rebuild, you have Str 10, Int 14. 

3. When the elves raise their concerns, do you speak with them as equals or challenge their hubris?

• If you speak with the elves, you have Dex 8, Cha 12. 
• If you challenge the elves, you have Dex 12, Cha 8. 

Elves

1. Do you continue to build new and wonderful things under the bright sun, or do you cherish the memories of the past under the pale stars? 

• If you continue to build, you have Dex 15, Int 13.
• If you cherish your memories, you have Dex 13, Int 15. 

2. When the Shadow rises, will you risk all to turn it back or will you preserve the glories of the elves forever in the deepest woods? 

• If you would fight the Shadow, you have Str 10, Con 8. 
• If you would retreat to the safety of the deep woods, you have Str 8, Con 10. 

3. When you remember the glories of the past, do you harden your heart against the grief, or do you let the tears fall?

• If you harden your heart and stay merry, you have Cha 14, Wis 12. 
• If you allow yourself to grieve, you have Cha 12, Wis 14. 

Halflings

1. Do you consider yourself a respectable gentle-halfling, or have you always been a troublemaker? 

• If you're a gentle-halfling, you have Dex 13, Cha 15.
• If you're a bit of a scoundrel, you have Dex 15, Cha 13.

2. Do you always eat second breakfast, even if supplies or short? Or do you tighten your belt and make sure there's enough to last? 

• If you always have second breakfast, you have Con 14, Wis 10. 
• If you try and conserve your supplies, you have Con 10, Wis 14.

3. Do you prefer to trade stories at the local pub or wander far afield by yourself?

• If you prefer to trade stories at the pub, you have Str 8, Int 12.
• If you prefer to wander the roads, you have Str 12, Int 8. 

Channelers, a class for dat Wheel of Time feeling

"Therefore Ilúvatar gave to their vision Being, and set it amid the Void, and the Secret Fire was sent to burn at the heart of the World; and it was called Eä." - Valaquenta

The Three Sisters weave all fate on their loom, forming the Tapestry of Ages. The thread of the Tapestry is made of the mana. Mana is the vital substance of the universe. It is sometimes called the Creator's breath, or the Secret Fire, or prana, or wyrd, or the Flame Imperishable. It is essential vitality.

Channelers are humans who also practice the arts of the Three Sisters, though on a miniature scale. Channelers can open themselves to the flows of mana and reweave reality around them as they see fit. They can pick apart the threads of the Tapestry of Ages and pull.

Elemental Affinities

Humans are a prism. When the mana surges through them, a channeler can direct it through one of five gates. Each gate is aligned with one of the five elements. The mana is white light, and each gate bends the light into a different color. The water gate is located in the genitals, the earth gate is located in the stomach, the fire gate is located in the heart, the air gate is located in the throat, and the spirit gate is located just above the top of the head.

Channelers have different relative strengths in the five elements. This is represented by their elemental affinity scores. Elemental affinities are ranked from 0 to 6. For each point of elemental affinity you have, you may channel one thread of mana through that elemental gate. For example, having fire affinity 3 means you can channel three threads of fire at a time. 

If your affinity for an element is rated 0, you cannot cast patterns of that element. 

Men tend to have affinity in earth and fire, whereas women tend to have affinity in air and water.

Opening the Flow

To weave mana, channelers must first open themselves to the flow of power. By opening themselves up to mana, they become a conduit for the essential power of the universe. This requires a successful Wisdom check and takes a turn.

While open to the flow of mana, any mundane (i.e., non-magical) task is performed with disadvantage. The only thing you want to do while channeling is channel. It's addictive.

You remain open to mana (i.e., actively channeling) for as long as you wish, but you certainly can't sleep or eat or even sit down and rest while channeling. You are alive and active and your heart is beating so, so fast. Remaining open to mana for longer than, say, a half-hour is incredibly difficult. It's so much ecstasy it hurts.

Resonance 

"If there is any to see, then I at least am revealed to them, I have written Gandalf is here in signs that all can read from Rivendell to the mouths of Anduin." - The Fellowship of the Ring

Mana is not subtle. It is creation and life and vitae. When a person is channeling, everybody knows it. The channeler's eyes are blazing with light, their pupils white. Their hair is tossed by an unseen wind. Their skin is almost luminescent. But more than that--you can feel someone channeling. Your skin prickles when you're near mana. You are aroused by the channeler. You know explicitly who is channeling and intuit each use of their patterns. A channeler is never subtle. A weaving is never unnoticed. Everybody knows who is casting, and what they're casting, every time. Depending on the amount of mana being channeled, you might be able to feel a channeler from over a mile away. You might even be able to intuit who is channeling. Channeling sends out waves of psychic resonance.

Weaving Threads and Patterns

A thread is a single fine flow of mana. These are woven into magical workings called patterns. A pattern may be made up of one thread or many. A pattern may be of a single working (a pattern of pure air or a pattern of pure water) or of multiple workings (a pattern of both air and water). The strongest patterns require the channeler to weave threads of all five elements.

Your elemental affinities effect how many threads you can weave into a single pattern. You may have one thread per point of elemental affinity for the pattern you are trying to weave. That is, if you are casting Immolate (a fire pattern) and you have fire affinity 2, you may weave up to two threads of fire into Immolate at a time.

Patterns might have different effects based on how many threads you weave into them. For example, the air pattern Gust of Wind moves a target 10' per thread woven into it. If cast with one thread, it will move your target 10' in the direction of your choice. If cast with five threads, it will move the target 50'.

Channeling patterns requires the use of the channeler's empty hands but not their voice. Channelers use their hands to physically manipulate the flows of glowing mana into patterns. The range of all patterns are "line of sight."

Some patterns may be maintained with concentration. You may only maintain one pattern at a time. If you close the flow of mana, your concentration pattern ends. If you suffer damage, you must make a Constitution saving throw to maintain concentration.

Channeling Track

Every thread you weave moves your Channeling Track up by one step. It starts at 0.

Step       Dice

0              0

1              d4-2

2              d4-1

3              d4

4              d6

5              d8

6              d10

7              d12

8              2d6

9              d8+d6

10           d10+d6

11           d10+d8

12           2d10

13           d12+d10

14           d20+d4

15           d20+d6

16           d20+d8

17           d20+d10

18           d20+d12

19           d20+2d6

20           d20+d8+d6

For example, if you cast a three thread pattern, your Channeling Track moves from step 0 to step 3. If you then cast a one thread pattern, it moves to step 4. 

Closing the Flow and Overchanneling

When you choose, you can cut yourself off from the flow of mana. This is easy to do, like exhaling a breath.

And now it's time to pay the piper.

Channeling mana is rough on your internal pathways and your subtle body. As soon as you close your gates, you immediately suffer the effects of channeling.

Roll as many dice as indicated on your Channeling Track and compare your total to the Overchanneling chart. Take the effects of Overchanneling immediately. Reset your Channeling Track back to 0.

Overchanneling
0. No effect
1. The channeler violently vomits for two turns.
2. The channeler is exhausted. He goes last during initiative until he rests.
3. The channeler is desperately hungry. He suffers disadvantage on all tests until he consumes a ration’s worth of food and water.
4. The channeler falls asleep. Only a violent slap (or worse) will wake him up.
5. The channeler suffers 5 damage as he bursts into spontaneously combusts. He’ll continue to suffer d6 damage per turn until he spends a turn putting himself out.
6. An imbalance of air in the channeler’s body robs him of the ability to speak for the rest of the day.
7. The channeler suffers sickness from an imbalance of water. He suffers disadvantages on saving throws for the rest of the day.
8. An imbalance of earth slows the channeler for the rest of the day. He can only move at 1/3rd his normal movement speed. (Alternatively, you might say he can only take a movement action, a standard action, or a minor action—not all three at once. Whatever rules work for you.)
9. An imbalance of spirit robs the channeler from benefiting from healing magics for the rest of the day.
10. The channeler suffers 15 damage as he is wreathed in flame.  Additionally, roll a d6 for each item that he wears or carries. If you roll a 5 or 6, the item is destroyed by this fire.
11. One of the channeler’s hand become calcified, as if turned to stone. He can’t use it until he undergoes magical healing.  This includes being unable to weave patterns larger than a single thread.
12. A violent storm appears in the area, which is dangerous to be exposed to and is devastating to local crops.
13. An imbalance of spirit causes the caster to fly into a berserk rage whenever they suffer damage for the rest of the day. They are unable to distinguish between friend or foe while in this state.
14. An imbalance of fire blinds the channeler for the rest of the day.
15. The channeler suffers 20 damage from internal strain. If this drops them below 0 HP, they simply die from organ failure.
16. An imbalance of water causes a sickness that inflicts disadvantage on all rolls for the rest of the day.
17. A greater elemental of [d4: fire/water/earth/air] appears and targets the channeler.
18. An earthquake grips the area, which shifts hills and topples buildings.
19. The channeler falls into a coma for a 1d4 days.
20+: You have channeled too much energy. You are burnt out. You lose the ability to channel forever. You lose 1 Charisma point per month as joy dwindles and hope fades from you.

And here are the "spell lists." I'm assuming 5E type saving throws, which I rather prefer. Change to suit you. The "spell level" isn't exactly relevant here. It matters how many threads you can weave based on your elemental affinities, and your character level matters.

Patterns of a Single Working

Beguile 
Element: Spirit
The channeler must meet a target's gaze to weave this pattern. If the target fails a Charisma saving throw, they are held and cannot do anything other than stand and drool, as long as the channeler takes no other actions than maintaining this pattern with concentration.

Bottle Bombs
Element: Water
All bottles and skins bearing liquid on the target violently explode for 1d6 damage per bottle. If the target is higher level than the channeler, they get a Charisma saving throw to resist this pattern.

Buoyancy 
Element: Water
If cast on an object, it will float on the surface of the water, even if submerged or sunken. If cast on a person, they can walk on the surface of the water. Unwilling subjects can make a Charisma saving throw to resist. For each additional water thread woven into this pattern, you may target an additional creature or object.
This pattern may be maintained with concentration.

Circle of Ice
Element: Water
A circle with a 5' radius centered on the channeler precipitously drops in temperature. All those who are within the circle suffer 1d4 damage per thread woven into this pattern, and water quickly freezes in this area. Additionally, creatures in the area have their swords frozen in their scabbards and the stoppers frozen into their potion bottles. It requires a Strength test to pull out and use any equipment on their belt.

Control Air
Element: Air
You may control the flow of air around you in simple but significant ways. Examples of this may be clearing away a gas, blowing over a vase, creating whistling or booming sounds, or even powering a small sailing ship. More powerful effects might be possible with more threads, per GM's discretion--it takes about five threads to blow a door off of its hinges.

Control Earth
Element: Earth
You may control the a small amount of earth in simple but significant ways. Examples of this may be throwing a stone (d4 damage, Dexterity check to hit), burying a small object or chest, digging a trench, or raising a hillock. More powerful effects might be possible with more threads, per GM's discretion--it takes about five threads to create a navigable tunnel through solid stone.

Control Fire
Element: Fire
You may control a small flame in simple but significant ways. Examples of this may be having the flame leap to another nearby source (doing d4 damage, Dexterity check to hit), increasing a fire's size or intensity, extinguishing a small fire, or causing someone on fire to take double damage.  You can also use this pattern to create small sparks, like with flint and steel. More powerful effects might be possible with more threads, per GM's discretion--it takes about five threads to spread a campfire into a forest fire.

Control Water
Element: Water
You may control a small amount of water in simple but significant ways. Examples of this might include splashing someone with about a bucket's worth of water, giving advantage or disadvantage to someone's swimming attempts, drying something that's wet, or propelling a small boat. More powerful effects might be possible with more threads, per GM's discretion--it takes about five threads to part a river or lake so a passing army can traverse.

Comprehension 
Element: Spirit
This pattern allows a creature who can speak to understood and be understood by the caster. For each additional thread woven into this pattern, you can target one additional creature.
This pattern requires you to maintain it with concentration.

Dread
Element: Spirit
The channeler must meet a target's gaze to weave this pattern. If the target fails an Wisdom saving throw, the channeler becomes a terrible source of fear for the target. They will not willingly move towards the channeler and suffer disadvantage on attacks against the channeler.
This pattern may be maintained with concentration.

Earthsense
Element: Earth
The channeler gains tremorsense, feeling every movement and step upon (or under) the earth. This tremorsense extends out 10' from the channeler for every thread woven into this pattern.
This pattern may be maintained with concentration.

Fireproof
Element: Fire
The target of this pattern gains resistance to fire. Their possessions never catch fire, though they might be singed. For each additional thread woven into this pattern, you can target one additional creature.
This pattern may be maintained it with concentration.

Gust of Wind
Element: Air
With a gust of wind, you blast a target of about mannish size to a new space 10 feet/thread away. They land gently and the movement doesn't harm them, but they might be set down in a hazardous space (such as a pool of acid). You may use this pattern on yourself to navigate around the battlefield and cross gaps. Unwilling targets may resist by making a Constitution saving throw.

Hand of Air
Element: Air
The channeler may manipulate objects at a distance as if he had his hand on them. The channeler can lift objects or call them to him through the air.

Immolate
Element: Fire
You blast a creature or an item with flame. The target takes 1d6 damage per thread you weave into the blast and catches on fire. A target of higher level than the channeler may make a Dexterity saving throw to take half damage from the initial blast. A character on fire will take 1d6 damage per turn until they spend a turn putting themselves out.

Pit Trap
Element: Earth
One creature standing on solid earth that you target has his legs pulled down into solid earth. He cannot move until he passes a Strength saving throw. This saving throw is made with disadvantage if he was standing on solid stone, as opposed to soft soil or clay. For each additional earth thread woven into this pattern, you may target an additional creature.

Twist Sounds
Element: Air
The channeler can increase or decrease the sounds of a target creature (including himself). He can amplify their voice so that it can be heard easily, he can rob a creature of its voice completely, or he can muffle all sounds produced by the creature so it cannot be heard. Unwilling targets can resist with a Charisma saving throw.
This pattern requires you to maintain it with concentration.

Unweaving
Element: Spirit
The channeler may use this pattern to destroy threads of other patterns. For each thread woven into Unweaving, one thread is removed from a target active pattern.
If the channeler casts this pattern on a channeler who is not currently open to mana, the Wisdom save to open themselves to mana is made at a disadvantage. This usage of Unweaving must be maintained with concentration.

Wallwalking
Element: Earth
The target of this spell can walk on any wall or ceiling made of stone or earthen material. For each additional thread woven into this pattern, you can target one additional creature.
This pattern requires you to maintain it with concentration.

Wall of Elements
Element: Air, Earth, Fire, or Water
This pattern raises a wall of elements, depending on the elemental thread used in its creation. For each thread woven into this pattern, the channeler raises one 10x10' section of wall.
Walls of earth are opaque and tough as stone.
Walls of wind aren't opaque, but missile weapons cannot pass through this wall.
Walls of fire are opaque and any creature passing through it suffers 1d6 damage and must make a Dexterity saving throw to avoid catching on fire.
Walls of water are only raised in bodies of water, but prevents ships or other watercraft from approaching.
This pattern requires you to maintain it with concentration.

Ward
Element: Spirit
A circle with a 5' radius centered on the channeler becomes warded against evil. Undead of the channeler's level or lower cannot enter into this circle, or cast any magic into this circle, or perform any harmful actions against those within the circle at all.
Additional threads may be woven to increase the size of the warded area (additional 5' radius per thread) as well as the potency of the ward (+1 to channeler's level per thread woven).
This pattern requires you to maintain it with concentration.
* If you're using this for Wheel of Time stuff, just change "undead" to "darkspawn" for this pattern.

Will o' Wisp
Element: Fire
The channeler summons a bauble of flame which follows him, or can be directed as an effort of will. It provides light like a candle (or a torch for two threads, or a lamp for three threads). It can spark and cause small fires like flint and tinder. The channeler can make an attack with it by making a Wisdom check. If successful, the target is blinded until they can succeed on a Wisdom saving throw.
This pattern requires you to maintain it with concentration.

Interpreting this Shit

If you're using this for some OSR game, I reckon basically just take your magic-user class and strip away their basic spellcasting rules and shove these in instead.

Channelers start at level 1 with 1 point of elemental affinity in one element of their choice. Every level (if you have a 1-10 level spread, or every other level if you have a 1-20 progression), they gain 1 point of elemental affinity in any element of their choice (maximum 6).

Hack it to suit your needs.

Analysis

I like giving players the keys to their own destruction. I like how this type of magic-use isn't limited by resources (ala Vance), but by willingness to take risk. This seems more in keeping with certain non-Vancian fantasy themes (Le Guin, Tolkien, Jordan).

I have no idea how balanced this is. Not very? Kinda? Not sure.

I like that channelers have no restrictions on armor, but have to have their hands free. I think that having your hands free should give you a penalty to your defense. Parrying and shields are an important part of not getting hit. I also like that people know when channeling is happening. I like that it's not subtle. (I stole that idea from Carrie, which I just read for the first time.)

I like that all the spells are basically level 1, and you can level them up. I think this model goes towards helping fight the quadratic wizard problem.

I have plans for patterns that require multiple elemental affinities and multiple threads to be woven into them. For example, lightning would be air and fire, controlling the weather could be air and water, etc. But this post is already long, and I don't want to go too far out of scope.

Braid tugging intensifies.