House Rules

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Ok, pretty basic. I will include character creation in its own post so this will just concern overall game play.

We will be pretty much using the rules set of the NON D20 AD&D 2nd Edition. You know, the Player's book with the famous sword weilding,wing helmeted guy on horseback coming at you on the cover...

There will be some mods.

So far, these are them and more will be posted as time goes by...

1) Will be using Comeliness Stat. I find it easier and it deals with all the issues I have with the ways they use Charisma.

2) There will be no level limits for non-human races. I find it a contrived mechanic at best and silly at worst. On the other hand, there are limits to what races you can be...

3) There will be NO:

Wild Magic.
Psionics (at least to start...I hate the mechanic for that)


4) Magic can be cast in leather armor or in Elvin Chain (not that you've necessarily even HEARD of Elvin Chain)...but your characters likely will not know that (if I don't tell you you can, you don't know it yet). Specific Magics and certain Kits may be found that are exceptions to that.



On a more simple level, these "rules" (bylaws? statements?) apply.



If you are not in it to role play, go home and stay there.

My games are very heavily character driven NOT combat driven. There will be battle, and challenges, and puzzles and all that stuff, but I also put weight onto character and NPC interaction and such. Unlike a video game there are reactions to your actions, and not all of them are going to be nice if you are not...




If you have a question about how or why I am doing something, PM or email me. Don't distrupt the game with it.

Pretty straight forward. And this does not mean that if I make a mistake don't call me on it. If I said the King's name was Baldric and suddenly I keep calling him King Oldwick...say something.

Part of this is a key foundation of the campaign. DON"T TELL ME HOW IT SHOULD BE OR HOW A MONSTER WOULD OR WOULD NOT ACT! The whole point of this game is to change it up a bit. Maybe an AD&D medusa WOULD be too much for a starting group with no magic items...if the goal was to slay it. If on the other hand the goal was NOT to kill it, but to solve a problem related to it....well then....

I do not want to spend the entirety of every day between sessions explaining elements that either you as players or you as characters are not yet privy to. Trust me and go with the flow. If something sounds weird, ask. Otherwise, please go with it and see where it ends up.



You get out what you put in.

Now, I know that seems obvious. I mean, RPGs are a collectively told story, right? Well, I have had players that pretty much wait for the next battle to come around and do nothing in the mean times. They go off and tinker, read (but nothing in particular), or the like, when the rest of the party is meeting people, working on stuff, learning new skills, etc.

If your character is trying to learn to play dice for example, bring it up in play. While everyone is at the inn, he tries to find a game to get in on...whatever. Don't just tell me "Ok, I can take a skill and I told you in the begining I wanted gambling so I am gonna take it now".

On a related tangent, involve yourself. If everyone is going to a party, don't tell me your character goes to read a book and then expect me to give you point by point a quality reading experience. Worse yet, do not assume that, simply by going off on your own, I will "give you a solo". Sometimes, when the story or situation warrants it, I might. But generally, if you say you character is looking for a quiet night, they get one.



Your character will get what they deserve.

This is a catch all rule, so let me explain. At various times I have been accused of being too soft a GM; I give people too many chances, am unwilling to kill characters, etc.

Let me be clear, I WILL kill characters, but not just for the simple sake of the rules or such. To me, the story is more important.

For example, I rarely will kill a character because of ONE bad die roll. I believe characters, as the "stars" of the story we are writing, deserve deaths that are plot driven or dramatically important. In the LOTR movie Boromyr did not die beacuse he failed a Spot check on the archers, blew his Init roll, and failed an Armor check. He died because, at that moment in the tale, with him struggling for redemption, it was a tragic and dramatic event.

I do admit to giving people chances. I am one of those GMs who does warnings "Do you really want to do that?" is a common phrase in my games. I am not going to warn you off traps and such, but if I think what you are going to do makes little sense, I will enquire within. I do the same for alignment related actions.

Another part of this is that if your character says or does something I do NOT allow "take backs". There will be no excuses, so be careful what you say in play. Basically, if I and a majority of the other players believe you said something in character, you did. If you make a joke about the Orc Lord's codpiece, unless you make it clear it is out of character, I will roll to see if he heard it...

In that same vein, just like in real life, actions have consequences. NPCs have reactions to how you treat them. As time goes by, they develop expectations and act based on them. This is a big part of how I do NPCs...and it HAS caused all sorts of interesting game play...ask Sun Dunce and Lupala for examples if you dare...



Finally (for now any way) and most importantly:


The GM is NOT God

I will make mistakes. Help out, don't jump on em. If you have suggestions, even now, or want rule clarifications, I will do what I can.


Remember tho, I might not BE god, but I run them in the game....




Thank you for your attention. More to come I am sure.

Class Dismissed.

[writersblock]

Here are some more rules people may wish to be aware of.

First, something not so much a rule as a statement of what should be the obvious

When you are assigning stats, keep in mind that I play them as having an effect on how you look (at least the outward apparent, physical ones). I make some accomodation for race, magic, and such but still needs to be considered.

This works in two different ways:

1) Think about it when you design how your character looks. If you are playing a 5'2 human woman with a Strength of 17...well, most people with think she has dwarf blood. She will look like Conan era Arnold got a sex change. Things like Dexterity can be a little more moderated, but even then a high Dex is going to affect how they look. Please take this into account when making characters up.

One important example is for armor fittings. In the DMG they have rules (which I tweak) on found armors and their fit. Well, an 19 STR fella might be normal height but his chest and shoulders alone probably are not.


2) Stats can also affect how someone looks at you...good and bad. Lets take a guy with an 18/00 Strength, a 10 Dex, and a 10 Comeliness. One way a player could explain this is he is a big burly farmboy type. Now this is fine. But consider this: maybe the party encounters a female mage who likes the muscle bound types. This build might be, to her, more attractive to her than his Com alone reflects. It can go the other way, when a Queen assumes all warriors are, as a group, muscle bound numb skulls and this one's build proves that (regardless of his INT...hopefully Charisma was not a dump stat).


This also SHOULD go without saying, but i had it mentioned to me so I am actually going to put it into print.

I will expect people to both play and accept their stats. For examples of what I mean by this, I will include some moments from my own gaming life to crystallize it for you.

If you are playing a gorgeous woman with a very low MA(Charisma) who likes to try and pick up barbarian types for fun in the sack, you will likely not have trouble doing so even with your abrasive manner. Trying to convince them to do what you want the next day, just because you put out for them, the time your (Charisma) comes into play, will meet with different levels of success than your appearance gives you.


Another example: if you are playing a wall of muscle who walks the streets at night with no armor and nothing by a 7ft long steel pipe as a combination walking stick and weapon, looking for fights, eventually word will get around about the walking mountain of death. Without even rolling your MA to intimidate, you will start having fewer and fewer encounters.


If you are playing a character that is, essentially, a giant snakelike medusa figure (with scales, long fangs, etc) and you groom a terrifying reputation (regardless of your stats), DO NOT get mad about the bunny character with the high PB (Comeliness) high MA (Charisma) and a rep for being everyone's friend getting lots of attention and dance offers at the party.


In short, keep your character's stats in mind when considering their actions and keep your actions in mind when considering how you want your character received.


More to come.

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More Rules:

AC Stuff

1) I should not have to say this, but I will. DEX modifiers to AC apply specifically to attacks that can be dodged, evaded, etc.

2) I do allow lower than AC-10 under certain circumstances. Magic Items allow this up to AC-10, but things like high Dex and things like special items/armors (Dragon Hide armor for example) can go lower than -10.

*** NEW NEW NEW***

For consistency (not having to look all over for AC stuff) I am inserting this here, with other AC rules, as it belongs.

Ok, little of this is new, but for the most part it contains stuff just not really thought about by most people. Anyway, I am posting it here so no one can say they did not know.

Here is how I see AC.

The AC number is your overall, general protection and defence in AD&D. It is a combination of your armor type and, if you have a DEX bonus, your agility and efforts to dodge.

When surprised or such, Dex does not apply. Basically, your armor is all that protects you because, not ready, you cannot dodge, parry or otherwise defend yourself.

When backstabbed, shields (and prob Dex) do not apply. Pretty much same idea as surprised...duh....

AC applies to normal circumstances in normal battle. The reality is, people will try to make called shots and traps could care less what your armor is made of.

With called shots, the type of armor. and its features, are often more important that AC. For example, let's say you are wearing Classic Greek or Imperial Roman armor. Let's say someone shoots an arrow at your shin. Well, since you have on greaves, the arrow is up against your AC. Now, if that same archer was shooting at the back of the knee, well, no armor there so called shot penalty and possible a small target penalty.

Note that, between called shot penalties and small target mods, some times it may be easier to simple try to get past the AC and forget the called shot....

Certain monsters, traps and such may be trained/designed to defeat AC by targetting areas not well protected or commonly armored. These will, of course, modify AC on a case by case (type) basis, but keep in mind the effects are out there. Attacks on your character by a barbarian may have totally different AC applications than attacks by a swarm of bees or ants.


That is all I have on this topic for now.



THAC0 Stuff:

1) I do allow negative THAC0s. These apply to penalties to strike applied by called shots or difficult moves, high AC, whatever.

2) Any time, regardless of your THAC0, a roll of Natural 1 requires a DEX check to retain your weapon. In this case you must roll beneath your DEX to hold on to the weapon. It may require the roll be made by varying amounts based on weird circumstances and strange weapons.


More to come.

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Comeliness:


First things first: Some of you may not be aware of the Comeliness stat. It used to be an ability score, just like STR, DEX, CON, INT and all the rest in AD&D. They phased it out, and several times played with bringing it back. In general, they started using Charisma as a catch all ability score that reflected both the character’s social nature and their overall appearance.

From day one of my AD&D play I found this to make no sense. See, I could immediately find examples that disproved the ability to blend these two characteristics. There were too many holes. Comeliness is not Charisma.

For example, what of the socially inept country bumpkin with no social skills and odious personal habits but an appearance you’d sell your soul for? What of the Beast, form Beauty and the Beast, who was ugly but charming? Why would an Orc, because he is found unattractive by humans, be penalized in his ability to lead troops (Charisma based ability)? And have we not all gone to school with someone who was either not that attractive but a great person to hang out with or incredibly attractive but not nice to be around?

Comeliness reflects physical attractiveness, NOT social grace (Charisma). It is a reflection of the personal, largely physical, beauty of the character. It is used to determine initial reactions to the character, especially when the initial encounter is without conversation or communication. At both the higher and lower ends, characters with an extreme Comeliness score may even affect the wills and actions of others. While charisma deals specifically with leadership and interactions between characters, Comeliness deals with heavily with attractiveness and first impressions.

Which brings me to the next thing I must make clear:

ALL THE FOLLOWING DETERMINATIONS ABOUT THE AFFECT OF COMELINESS AND CHARISMA ARE GUIDELINES I WILL USE WITHIN GAME RULE CONTEXTS. THINK OF THEM ONLY AS GUIDES.

One of the easiest ways to get me off your side is to do something like this (and this goes for ALL stats):

“Why is the King (OR merchant...or Guard, or whatever) treating me this way?!? I have an 18 Chr and a 17 Com! He should do whatever I say! This is not how the rules say it works...page XX clearly says my Chr Bonus should be making him treat me like a friend...”

I do take stats into consideration. For example, I often will say “Ok, give me the gist of what your poem will say...your character is better with poetry that you, and has way more experience, so I am not expecting you to come up with the entire thing....” I have also done things like, “Your character has experience and intelligence on their side. Before you perform that plan of action, roll an IQ check...”

I do NOT on the other hand use stats as a way to reduce the need for role playing. If you do not know what your character would do, ask me for suggestions. If you, in game, converse or proposition your character into a situation you don’t like, your stats are not a magic reset button to use to undo it.



Charisma can affect the initial results of the reaction to Comeliness, and vis a versa. The following charts will show you their effect.





Charisma Effects on Comeliness

* these affect the Comeliness score in specific circumstances. They are not “blanket” applied, but vary in application by circumstance. Largely, they take effect when the character has been perceived based on their appearance. First impressions have been made, and then interaction and social ability (Charisma, etiquette knowledge, etc) are now coming into play.

Charisma < 3 relates -8 Comeliness.
Charisma 3 means -5 Comeliness.
Charisma 4-5 means -3 Comeliness.
Charisma 6-8 means -1 Comeliness.
Charisma 9-12 means No Comeliness Adjustment.
Charisma 13-15 means +1 Comeliness.
Charisma 16-17 means +2 Comeliness.
Charisma 18 means +3 Comeliness.
Charisma >18 means +5 Comeliness.

As Charisma is raised or lowered, whether by curse, attitude shift, , aging, or artifacts, Comeliness should be similarly affected as the chart above (a loss of one point of Charisma can create shift in Comeliness perception, but may not be enough to slide categories).


Comeliness Effects on Charisma

* these affect the Charisma score in specific circumstances. Like above, they are not “blanket” applied, but vary in application by circumstance. Largely, they take effect when the character has been perceived based on their actions and behavior more than their appearance. Personal interactions, behavior, and social ability (Charisma, etiquette knowledge, etc) are affecting the way people perceive the character.

Comeliness < 3 relates -8 Charisma.
Comeliness 3 means -5 Charisma.
Comeliness 4-5 means -3 Charisma.
Comeliness 6-8 means -1 Charisma.
Comeliness 9-12 means No Charisma Adjustment.
Comeliness 13-15 means +1 Charisma.
Comeliness 16-17 means +2 Charisma.
Comeliness 18 means +3 Charisma.
Comeliness >18 means +5 Charisma.

As Comeliness is raised or lowered, whether by disease affects, magic, aging, scars, or artifacts, Charisma should be similarly affected as the chart above (a loss of one point of Comeliness can create shift in Charisma perception).


In addition to the adjustment to Comeliness based on Charisma score, characters of certain races must take an additional adjustment to their Comeliness scores. This reflects racial tendencies toward attractiveness or unattractiveness based on the human aesthetic. KEEP THIS POINT IN MIND: This racial adjustment applies only when the reaction of characters of other races is concerned, in similar fashion to the way that racial adjustments for charisma apply only to those of other races. That means that while an Orc with Comeliness 15 may look like 10 to humans, he’s really hot to the Orcs back home (no mod to his 15). The penalties and bonuses are these:

Orcs and Goblinkin: -5
Half-orcs: -2
Dwarves, gnomes: -1
*Halflings, gnomes, humans: 0
* Half-elves, sylvan elves: + 1
*Gray elves, high elves: + 2

* - Treat these pairs as being of the same race for purposes of effective comeliness; e.g., halflings are just as attractive
(or repulsive) to humans as humans are to each other, and vice versa.


Comeliness will have the following effects on creatures of human sort. (This category includes, but is not necessarily limited to, humans, demi-humans, humanoids, giant-class, and bipedal creatures of human-like form and motivation.)


-16 or lower: Those viewing a character with Comeliness this low are repulsed and horrified, so as to turn away or possibly even attempt to destroy the creature so offensive to the sight. If the individual with low Comeliness is powerful, the reaction will tend toward fleeing it and to escape, or reinforcement of previously determined awe (horror) reaction. If both viewer and creature are of evil alignment, the effect can be that of a positive Comeliness of the same total (some, but not all, evil find ugly not so unappealing).

-15 to -9: Most common reaction is one of disgust, evidenced by a tendency to look away, revile the individual, and even acting hostile in general. Under most circumstances this character will not be accepted by the viewers unless all are of shared alignment or objective, so that the negative Comeliness can be regarded as more positive.

-8 to 0: Aversion and a desire to be away from the ugly creature will be evidenced by most viewers. If given an excuse, those near the individual will turn hostile and openly aggressive; otherwise they will merely tend toward rejection and exclusion.

+ 1 to + 6: As such an individual is simply ugly, the reaction evidenced will tend toward unease and a desire to get away from such an appearance as quickly as possible. If given the opportunity, the character's Charisma can offset ugliness, but this requires a fair amount of conversation and interaction to take place (which might be hard to do).

+ 7 to + 9: The homeliness of the individual will be such that initial contact will be of a passively negative sort. This negative feeling will not be strongly evidenced. High Charisma will quickly overcome it if any conversation and interpersonal interaction transpires. (Also consider racial mods: a dwarf with 16 Charisma and a base Comeliness roll of 9; he or she will be at 8 when viewed by all creatures except other dwarves - who will see him or her with Comeliness adjusted by +2 for Charisma.)

+ 10 to + 13: Plain to average comeliness; no real effect on the viewer. Charisma can be even more important.

+ 14 to + 17: Interest in viewing the individual is evidenced by those in contact, as he or she is considered good-looking. Rolls for reaction adjustment are increased by a percentage equal to the Comeliness score of the character. Individuals of the appropriate sexual preference will seek out such characters, and will be affected as if under a fascinate spell unless Wisdom of the individuals exceeds 50% of the character's Comeliness total.

The fascinate-like power of high Comeliness is similar to the 2nd-level illusionist spell of the same name. Those subject to this power will be captivated by the user, and treat him or her as a trusted friend, mentor, and companion. How they will treat the possessor will largely depend on the manner in which the possessor treats them. A saving throw versus spell will negate the effect but if the Comeliness is not magical in nature, then dispel magic, anti-magic spells, and similar spells will not affect the fascination effect.

Fascinated creatures will follow the orders of characters with high Comeliness, provided a roll of 3d6 does not exceed the comeliness of the character. Requests that are not in the best interest of the creature get a + 1 to the die, while those that are hazardous can gain up to + 6 or higher on the dice roll. If the roll is higher than the user's Comeliness, the fascinate-effect is broken. If a once-fascinated creature has been badly treated and breaks free of this enrapturement, the creature will react as appropriate to their treatment. If the creature has been well treated, it may still be friendly to the character even after the fascination has worn off.

The effect of one's Comeliness upon others can temporary; once a character is known to other characters or creatures, its initial effect is negated, and Charisma is largely used to determine reactions and followers. In this way, characters of high Comeliness and low Charisma may attract interest, but not long-term followers and allies (beauty being only skin deep).The effects of the fascinate power do not generally affect the abilities of the individual with respect to fighting, casting of spells, etc., and in no way reduces the subject character to a zombie-like state, a puppet for the high Comeliness character. Actions performed by a character while fascinated may affect alignment (though they would have a good addition to the Comeliness check, say + 3 or + 4).

+ 18 to + 21: The beauty of the character will cause heads to turn and hearts to race. Reaction for initial contact is at a percent equal to 150% of Comeliness score. Individuals of the appropriate sexual preference will be affected as if under a fascinate spell unless their wisdom exceeds two thirds of the character's Comeliness total. Individuals of the same sexual preference will do likewise unless Wisdom totals at least 50% of the character's Comeliness score. Rejection of harsh nature on the part of the character can cause the individual rejected to have a reaction as if the character had a negative Comeliness of half the actual (positive) score.

+ 22 to + 25: The stunning beauty and gorgeous looks of a character with so high a Comeliness will be similar to that of those of lesser beauty (17-21), but individuals will actually tend to flock around the character, try to follow him or her, and generally behave either so foolishly or in some other manner so as to try and attract the attention of the character. The reaction adjustment is double the score of Comeliness: i.e., 22 Comeliness equals + 44%. Fascinate-like power will affect all those with Wisdom of less than two-thirds the Comeliness score of the character. If an individual of the appropriate sexual preference is actually consciously sought by a character with a Comeliness of 22 or better, that individual will be effectively fascinated unless their Wisdom is 18 or higher. Rejection is treated as above.

+ 26 to + 30: Unearthly beauty of this sort can be possessed only by creatures from other planes; demi-gods and demi-goddesses, deities of unusual sorts, and those gifted by such beings. Reaction adjustment is double Comeliness score. Fascinate-like power is effective on all except those with Wisdom equal to at least 75% of Comeliness, except that 19 or higher Wisdom always allows a saving throw versus the power. An individual of the appropriate sexual preference who is consciously sought by the possessor of such unearthly beauty and Comeliness will automatically and always be under the "spell" of the individual unless he or she has Wisdom of 20 or more.

Magic can affect the Comeliness of a creature; the amount and duration directly relating to the manner and power of the magic. Illusion-based spells such as change self and alter self will raise or lower Comeliness by a maximum of 2 points, no matter what the final form is. Illusions of characters or creatures with high Comeliness are effective only for a single round, as the nature of the fascinate is such that the character affected concentrates more fully on the illusion, weakening its effectiveness. Polymorphed figures raise or lower Comeliness by 2 - 6 points from the original, due to subtle special clues that are not visual but still perceived, while Shapechange confers full Comeliness effects appropriate to the final form.

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Magic Mods:

Ok, a brief few notes on how magic and such, directly in relation to casters, will work in my world.


Clerical Magic:

Ok...big thing I gotta say here. Clerical types are NOT mages. They do not MEMORIZE spells. I should not have to say that, but I need to make a point.


In far to many games I have been in people reduce the act of spell acquistion to the simple statement "I spend X hours recovering my spells".


To me, this takes the "divinity" and a large part of the MAGIC out of clerical spells. They are not bolts in a quiver to be recovered after the battle and sharpened as needed. They are GIFTS given to you by your DEITY as a reward for your faith and observance of the Way.

Clerics pray. That often means getting up early, or going to bed late, or stopping at a particular time every day to observe the proper times, preparing some sort of altar/other accoutrements, and making prayers and devotions.

They type of prayer effectively directs your spell acquisition. You pray for the power to heal to get heal spells, you pray for the ability to cure sickness for such...etc. It is not a generic "Oh please mighty Game Mechanic in the sky, grant me the passage of time stated on page XX and then I can pick my spells".

The time of prayer is not important...it is not like mages with an hour per level type stuff. It is the ritual of it, the devotion, that is important. Your character is, in effect, renewing their connection to the divine. Keep this in mind when you play a cleric.

The preservation of the divine origin of this magic is essential to this class. Think of that.

Think: Literally, we are talking the power of prayer. That means, when casting, there is some prayer like action to. For example, healing involves some prayer, banishment and the like requires some "By the Power of Grey Matter!" type stuff....

It is not "point and click".

Now, that being said, I will NOT be expecting you to roleplay every prayer and such, making up prayers for your character and such...what I will want is for you to keep the thought of this in mind when playing. I also want to encourage you to have "special prayer moves"...like a special prayer you always utter when healing, one you say for courage before battle, etc...

I am trying to encourage you to make a cleric more than a god mage....



Mage Spells:

Point Number One: I use casting times. Magic is not like a video game...point at the target on your turn and see the damage you do fly off him...

Point Number Two: I do use components. You will be keeping track of them and you will have to periodically account for them. Logs will help to compare. If you are out of components, having the spell memorized is fine but cannot cast it.

Point Number Three: You are not, in all likelihood, ever going to find a place that SELLS spells. You might find someone selling a single one, or some spell book they found, but likely they have no idea what it is or are trying to get rid of it for nothing more than the cash. Caveat emptor


General:


Because I am having spell casting be a much more rare thing than in most AD&D campaigns, I am not allowing any multi class, at least to start, that combines clerical magic casting and mge spell casting (ie: Mage/Cleric, Mage/Ranger, Cleric/Bard, etc).

The only reason for this is purely statistical. If casters of clerical magic are rare, and casters of mage spells are rare, numerically casters of BOTH are even MORE rare...so to start, uh-uh...sorry.

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Multiclassing:

Ok, since all the people playing so far have asked about, I am tired of repeating myself.

These are pretty much the standard rules for AD&D, but I have tweaked them slightly.


From the Start:

Ok, at the most basic level, make sure you do things like pick the better of the two starting gold, the better of the two sets of Saves (not one class this type save, other class that type....you save, across the board, as ONE of the two classes), etc. Con Bonuses for HP and such are chosen as per the best of the classes.

WPs and NWP are chosen as per the better of the two levels: That is...pick the best starting number for you and you also than assign that WP acquisition (another every so many level as per the class you chose the better WP number for). Selection of NWP works the same way.

Experience Points are divided evenly between the classes. If you have a stat that gives you an XP bonus, that is applied only to the XP given to the class the bonus is from.

When it comes to Hits Points, there is a lot of debate on the best way to do it and which way is the most work. I am going to try and do this the way I feel is best.

You will roll half the die of the class every time THAT class goes up a level. When the other class goes up a level, you roll half of its Hit Die for that level. The Con Bonus is applied only to the roll of the class you chose to take the Con Bonus from.

For Example:

You are playing a Fighter/ Thief with a STR 15, CON 22, and Dex 18.

To go up to 2nd level as a Fighter requires 2000 XP. With a STR of 15, you do not get any XP bonus.

To go up to 2nd Level as a Thief requires 1250 XP. Because of your High DEX, you get a 10% bonus to Thief XP only.


Since Fighters get a +6 HP bonus for CON 22, and Thieves only a +2, the fighter CON bonus is selected.


You are given 500 xp for an adventure. 250 goes into the Fighter class XP, while 275 (250+10% for the DEX Bonus) goes into the Thief.

When the Thief level reaches the XP needed for Level 2, you roll 1D3 and add it to your HP Total. You do NOT add the CON bonus since you are using the Fighter Bonus.

When the Fighter level gains the XP to reach Level 2, you will roll 1D5 and add +6 (CON Bonus) then add the total to your HP Total.


Later On:

Ok, say you are a 6th Level fighter and that has gotten boring. You wanna become a Priest because your God has been so good to you.

First, you need to find some one to train you (this will involve, in the case of clerics, someone of the faith you wish to be a cleric of.) For the sake of this, let's say you do.

Ok, all advancement as a fighter freezes and you become a 0 Level Cleric. You must accumulate 1000 XP to become a Level One Cleric (or to become any Level One new class). Until then, you use the saves and such of the old class, but must abide the weapon and other such restrictions of the new class...for example, no using a Broad Axe while trying to become a Mage.

You get NO HIT POINTS OR ANYTHING FOR MAKING IT FROM LEVEL ZERO TO LEVEL ONE.

At this point, you assume Level One abilities and such for the new class. You also get their Saves and such too. This may include needed skills and such (WPs and NWPs) as per GM.

This new class assuming includes HP adjustment for Con as you go up levels from now on (DO NOT adjust HP retroactively, just do it from here on.)

All XP accumulated goes toward the new class until you reach in it the level of the one abandoned (in the case of the example, Level 6 Cleric).

At this point, you can chose to progress in both, from then on using the rules detailed above as if you have been multiclass from the start, OR you can fully abandon the former class at the level it is at and use the new class only with XP and all going to it alone.

If the former class is abandoned, skills and such acquired do not disappear. In some cases, where no class restrictions limit such, they can continue to be used normally (for example, Your fighter THAC0 with sword, rather than Cleric THAC0). On the other hand, the requirements of the new class are paramount, and if GM determines the old class is getting too much focus, XP penalties can be incurred (not to mention divine wrath if class needs are not met).



That should cover that.


Yet, I somehow sense....there will be....





More to Come.

[writersblock]

Again, this is more stuff I probably should not have to put down as law, but I will so there is no arguements. Some of this is pretty much stolen from other rule sets on this site and modified for my purposes.

Ok, here are some actual game play/game etiqette rules and some actual "in game play" operational rules:

Play and Etiquette


Questioning the GM

I am totally cool with this. AD&D is not a game I have tons of experience GMing, but one I have lots of time under my belt playing. If you think I might have screwed something up, I may well have. Please do one of these three things should that occur:

1) if it is a game time relevant, immediate thing, like I am using the wrong NPC name, just OOC mention it.

2) If it is a game time affecting event (like you think I screwed up a die amount for damage or think I have made some other judgement error, PM. I will not discuss such things in game, but am willing to discuss it at the time. Keep in mind, there may be things going on at any time you are unaware of, but even then I may screw up so PM me if you are in doubt.

3) If you don't inderstand or agree with something, discuss it out of game (email, PM, whatever). I am not going to stop the game and talk with someone who thinks I am making the adventures too hard or the traps too easy. If you think you are personally being treated unfairly, and it needs resolution NOW, then PM me and tell me so. I will always do what I can.


Do not ask the GM for information you missed during the game on game day. If you arrive late or had to leave early the previous session, don't bug me during a session for the things you missed. There are going to be 2-6 other players in the game and I am not going to put other players, in character and in game, wait while I recap. Ask one of the other players to give you a recap AND do it in PM. Don't clutter the game with it...Also realize your character knows none of this unless it is obvious or the character is later told....

UNLESS the players do the recap IN CHARACTER. If, for example, you are late to arrive to the game, but your character was travelling late so it gives an excuse, I have no prob with IN CHARACTER recaps...keep in mind tho, what the other characters tell you is ALL your character knows.

If you want to ask me for what you missed during the week and are lucky enough to catch me online, that's greatand normally I will do so. If you wanna email me and ask, I will get back to you ASAP, but remember I have a life and may not get to you for a few days, so emailing two days before next session is a bad idea.


Timeliness

The Game will start on time as best and often as I am able to manage. I believe it is unfair to those players who are punctual to have to wait for the players who for whatever reason are unable to show up on time for the games. This is especially true since there will likely be time constraints and restrictions on how late we can go til due to time zone differences.


Absences

Stuff happens, get a helmet. I understand that you might miss a game. Please get an email or such off to me, or PM me, ASAP so I know what happened. It is that simple. I will try and accomidate your character as best I can, but I will not "NPC" it.

Repeated absence without notification may result in loss of your place in the game. If a player does not show up for any games for four sessions or more without sending me some kind of notification I will assume that they have left the game and are not coming back. I will then take control of their character's fate and use it as I feel the story best benefits. This can mean I will have the character abandon the adventure, disappear, die, quit the party, retire, or continue on functionally as an NPC. It will be ENTIRELY my decision as I believe best suits the needs of the tale.

If players I thought had left do return before I have assigned their character a new fate, they can just jump right back in. However, if I have retired or killed their character they will have to make a new one. If I have given their spot in the game to another player, they are completely out of luck. Sorry.

Easiest way to put it: Tell the GM if you are going to be absent. If the absence will be long term, notify me if and when you intend to come back, and tell me about how long you expect to be gone.



In Play Stuff

A few points about in play actions.


Themes and Language

I want to say again that this is not a G-Rated game. This is not a kids game, or one with young kids playing in it (unless some of you online are lying about your ages). There will be all sorts of adult themes and language in both the adventures and in general play. If you are either not mature enough or easily offended, this game is probably not for you. I will not "tone down" the nature, themes, or manner of play to be politically correct. If an action could occur in the circumstance, and I as GM deem that the story is such that the event will occur, then it does.

This includes, but is not limited to, acts of severe barbarity, violence, murder, sadism, torture, rape, perversion, mutilation, and the like on the part of the villains and baddies. It also allows for the players to engage in adult content circumstances of a non-evil nature such as vulgarity, nudity, sexual situations/content, and the like.

Now, please realize, I will not introduce an adult theme, in any form, just for the sake of it. I will, on the other hand, let the story go where the characters follow (or lead) it. I will not "censor" the story because saying the "f-word" or depicting a torture might be offensive.




On this line, I want you all to recognize one thing. I encourage you, in role-play, to be as in character as possible. Use appropriate languge and terms as best you can (see the following entry). On the other hand, if your character wants to call some murderous scum a "fu**ing a**hole" just do it; I will assume your character used the regional and time appropriate equivalent term.



Terminology

We have all read the AD&D books. We as players have the advantage of a vast and game specific vocabulary to discuss characters, settings, classes, and the like.

There is a difference between the language of game mechanics and the setting vernacular. Terms like AC, Hit Points, THAC0, Casting Time, melee rounds, and the like applying strictly to game mechanics should remain there, and never be on the lips of the characters. After all, IRL we talk about similar terms in much less specific terms. The PC’s should be no different.

The same goes for classes and such. Let me give you an example from our own AD&D game play. Many of you familiar with our AD&D game, or who frequent Cafe Risque, may know of my highest level AD&D character still in play, Miya Renn. Well, she is a Thief according to the Player's Handbook and the DMG. Now, in game terms, there is nothing judgemental or in any way wrong with saying that.

On the other hand, she is, in the game world, 30th+ level, a hero of the realm, a high ranking member of the nobility, Sainted by the church, confidant to the King, and more. She thinks of herself as a former thief, turned adventurer. She uses the term "trouble shooter". When a player made up a new character to join our group and, witnessing Miya detect and disarm a trap, he IN CHARACTER called Miya a THIEF...(Basically said..."Oh, so she's a thief eh?" or words to that effect)

In THAT context, he was not using a term describing her class...her was calling a respected and well liked person a crook. Let's just say she was somewhat insulted and the other party memebers were quick to defend her. It made for a rocky new intro for the player, and his character was not readily accepted by many.

That is the sort of thing you need to think about. Just like Player versus Character information, think about HOW you have your character say something, as well as WHAT the character says.

Things would have gone totally different, for example, had the character in the example instead turned to another character and gone "Excuse me for asking, but, where does a member of the Nobility learn so much about traps? I thought she was our healer?"


Money

Most Kingdoms and Racial Regions (Dwarven Lands, Elvin Territories, etc) will have issued their own currency, though some will use a neighbor's currency (especially common among humans)and vis a versa. Neighbors could also, depending on their attitude to one another, be expected to respect each other's currency at a reasonable trade exchange. A gold piece in one human kingdom would bear similar value the next kingdom over.

As well, some will have no currency (as your characters would recognize it) at all, instead relying on possession of certain goods or items of value (such as particular types of cattle or the like).

At least, that is how it used to be.

This is a world emerging from an apocalypse; no standard (not even gold trade) exists across the lands. In some areas great kingdoms have ceased to exist, and the value of their currency has gone with it. In others, the coins you carry may be woth more melted down than as coins from your home realm. Larger, more advanced Kingdoms may have standard trade measures that will allow a fair and even exchange, but others may not even recognize the coin (precious metal content or no).

In many areas, barter will be the goods transfer of choice, and unminted precious metals may be worth more than coins.

Keep that in mind when I issue treasure ond you get your share. I will endeavor to define the nature and era of any coin. You many, as travellers, want to keep some of those elf ingots in case you venture there again, and the Ork ringlets may be worth more melted down but what if you can find a collector of Ork antiquities? They could be worth even more....






More to Come.

[writersblock]

Ok, some more stuff on House Rules I use.

Experience:


One thing you should know is that I am pretty free and loose with the XP rules for AD&D. For example, I regularly give out bonus XP for exceptional play, extreme cases of playing in character, stupendous problem solving, and other such events. My games are not "kill and loot" based XP type games (tho you do get it for those things too).

I feel rewards for the role playing aspects generates a condition that limits the Hack n' Slash approach to AD&D (and other fantasy games).

I have been in games where the fighters and such dominate the XP acquisition because they get all the kills. In one such game, players were known to jump in and finish off other PC's (the combat skill weaker ones, like clerics and rogues) fights, thus "saving their comrade" but also getting the lion's share of the XP for the fight (from the kill) thus hindering the growth of the character that spent the whole combat on that one adversary.

Giving role playing XP is my way to balance for those sorts of things.

I also do the classic XP split (among the whole party involved in the battle) for conflicts against single opponents, and tend toward (generally) individual awards in one on one (like a group of orcs against the PC's...one orc per character). These are, of course, generalizations but I want you to understand how I do this before any of you begin play.


More to come.

[writersblock]

Some Stuff About Skills:


Ok, there is some stuff I wanna get out of the way so we are all on the same page.

First off, the NWP and WP system for AD&D was designed to reflect one simple thing about real life in the feudal/medieval age...you did not have a lot of skills or any real knowledge outside your own profession.

We take our own educations and life in the age we live in for granted.

Here's a challenge for you: make up a skill list for yourself. You, the one reading this. Make up a list of the skills you feel you can perform with proficiency.

IE: Just to read this post you have

1) Computer Operation.
2) Literacy: English.

You probably have Basic Math, can speak your native language, have some knowledge of health and hygiene, possess some basic science skills (even if only at a basic High School level of understanding), and some skills pertaining to your profession. You can probably drive, maybe cook, dance, play an instrument, and probably can do lots of other stuff.


The list gets big, fast, for University educated and the like.

Now, let's turn to the feudal people.

They had less SKILLS, but they held a lot of knowledge. Most of their actual skills were centered around their role in the world (craftsman, farmer, leather maker, etc). Your average farmer did not know how to use a long sword effectively. Your average knight had no idea in the slightest how to judge when to till a field.

Now, this is not to say a person not trained in a weapon could not pick up a sword and try to defend themself. It just means someone actually trained (possessing the skill) is going to beat you pretty handily.

Also, keep in mind some things don't really need a skill to perform.

Let me give you some examples:

In ancient times, pretty much as soon as achild could walk they were taught to light the hearth fire and how to tend it. This is a "skill" pretty much all feudal people from non-nobility backgrounds have...Now, the Firebuilding NWP is NOT this skill. Under ideal conditions, at home, any feudal person can get a fire going in the hearth. Those with the NWP can pretty much get a fire going, with minimum materials and such, anywhere that a fire can be lit. These people have learned to make fire a variety of ways, in a wide variety of conditions...usually, out of doors.

Therefore, your average peasant does NOT need to have the fire Building NWP.

The same sort of thing goes for the construction of homes, making cords and ropes, cooking meals (making bread does not make you a baker), and the like. The NWP is the higher level trained equivalent. Not everyone has it.

Same goes for things like running.

Anyone (who is physically capable) can run. It is not a "Skill everyone has" just because they are bipedal or whatever. On the other hand, there are those who train to be faster, have greater starts and endurance, who train to be the best runners out there. Maybe it is a requirement of their job (an athlete or a messenger) or maybe they had to learn to survive (living on the streets, a hunted person, etc). Whatever the reason, having the SKILL "Running" is different than being a person who can also run.

One last example: look at things like hygiene.

Putting aside cultural, superstitious, and regional ideas about it most people in feudal times had some concept of cleaning themselves, their clothes, their houses, etc. They knew how to shave, cut their hair, debug themselves and their dwellings (contrary to popular belief) build a latrine, etc.

Courtesans and such may have a Grooming NWP. They can style their hair, know how to prepare and use makeups and perfumes, can bathe and shave others, know how to pin wigs, and the like. They know how different soaps act, herbs that can be added to water for different effects and scents, and the like.


Hopefully, this has led you to my point.

Not everything you do is a NWP, but to do it well and beyond the norm usually means it is.


Now, next.....

I do skills a bit different that standard AD&D.

First, the obvious: Ok, we all know with proficiencies low rolls are better. Well, in my case rolling a "1" is pretty much always some sort of awesome success, and the more you made it by the more impressive a success it is. In my experience not everyone does it that way so I want to make that clear.

Second: I allow the acquisition of more skills a bit easier than the books because I accept that large amounts of time can pass between levels. Because of this, if I feel your character has had sufficient training and time to develop a new skill, I will grant it regardless of level.

That is about it for now.




More to come.

[writersblock]

Here is some more skill stuff...

GENERAL PROFICIENCIES RULINGS

This is all about building on what I said before…

First off, I use the Weapon Proficiency (WP) and Non Weapon Proficiency (NWP) system, including Weapon Specialization and such. I use a modified version of the system when it comes to acquisition of new ones, but I’ll get to that in a moment. First let me address skills/proficiencies in general.

If you look at pg 52 of the AD&D 2nd Ed book you will see a simple experiment to show you how skills work. It shows you the skills possessed by an average North American type gamer. That is fine, but I want to reverse engineer it for the average medieval person and thus explain something about skills.

There are “skills” that, without any actual proficiency, are a given in that your character could not have been raised in a medieval society without having them. In those sorts of societies, everyone starts contributing to all the labours, duties, and needs of the household as soon as they are able. Children have certain basic “skills” that we do not (because we expect less from our kids now).

By the age of 7 yrs or so, the average medieval child could light a fire in the hearth, has basic animal care knowledge (feed, water, move them, etc), basic food prep skills, and more. Within the next few years they will learn to recognize local heraldry, more advanced aspects of animal husbandry skills, basic plant identification, tool care and use, and other general agricultural skills. More wealthy of children will learn anything from literacy to weapon skills and riding during this time of their lives.

So what does all this mean in game terms? Let me use two skills as an example to lay it out for you: Fire Building and Cooking.

In my game, the average person, under ideal conditions (indoors, in a hearth, with fire starting tools and dry tinder) can easily start a fire. They can use a flint and steel or a starter ember to easily get a home fire burning. They know what woods are best for fires and, in the most basic sense, how to cut them. They know how to layer a fire so that embers remain in morning and can be stirred back to flame. The same goes for getting one lit outdoors; ideal weather and dry conditions means the fire gets lit.

A person with the Fire Building proficiency is capable of something else though. They get fires lit far faster (on average a third the time of the untrained) and conditions are far less of an influence since they know where to find and use the “extras” (saps, mosses, fungi, etc) that help overcome harder conditions. They know the tricks for getting wet wood to burn, lighting fire in winds, and more. They know how to use (and usually carry) far more fire making implements (like fire bows, far more diversified tinder boxes, char cloth, etc) that the average person. They know dozens of types of fires and fuel arrangements that work in different conditions of terrain, weather, and more.
They can build fires to suit different purposes (signal, smoking, etc), know the characteristics of different woods when burned so they can get specific results from their fires, and all the varied other elements of using fire for heating, cooking, and the like.

See the difference? Cooking works the same way.

The average person either helped with the family food prep, the actual meal cooking, or some other element of meal making during their early life. Some have also had to feed themselves. Your knowledge of seasoning is limited to regional availability (salt versus black pepper for example…). That means the average person can prepare basic broth, simple soups and stews, simply cook meat and fish, make a gruel, and cook very basic non-leavened bread or biscuits. Not a great menu, but healthy and life sustaining. Classic campfire cooking and with variable quality (more often than not you either undercook or burn something).

With a Cooking proficiency someone has actually taken the time to teach you to properly cook. This is far more than the skills of a village mother with a bit of a gift; this is the sort of thing only available in areas with access to diverse ingredients, condiments, and spices. You know many more ways to prepare foods, have a finer understanding of spicing and flavour, know many more food products and how to use or prepare them, have a far greater assortment to build menu selections from, understand the basics of baking and the like (the basics; they are not bakers without the Baking proficiency), know how to make several sweets and dessert recipes, and can even perform far beyond the levels of their provided materials. They know how to use or improvise/fashion different basic cooking implements, are fairly accurate at measuring weights and quantities, know ways to slow or prevent spoilage, and have a knack for determining the quality and condition of foodstuffs.

Get it? Not having a proficiency does not, in all cases, mean you have no knowledge whatsoever of the area in question. It means that you have far more limited and less diverse understanding or ability.

Anyone can wade across a stream, but it is when you find yourself over your head and caught in a vicious current that it may be nice to know how to swim (a VERY rare medieval skill in most areas of the world; at least among most humans).

Ok, with that addressed, let’s move on to other stuff.



SKILL SPECIALIZATIONS

First things first: you can apply additional slots to a skill, at the start or later in game, in order to get the standard benefits in WP and gain a permanent +2 to a NWP. This is NOT about specialization; this is about studying something more in depth than normal. In addition, having multiple proficiency slots dedicated to a single proficiency is the sort of thing I (as GM) take into account when determining your difficulty for using the proficiency to figure some problem out.

Specialization is no longer limited just to weapons either. Just like with weapons, a person can specialize in a particular NWP. This works in two different ways depending on how you have the character acquire the specialization.

In one form, they develop the NWP but focus on a particular aspect. For example: A person could learn Alchemy, but focuses their study on poisons (having the skill Alchemy: Poisons and Toxins). This sort of focus means that when making a check in relation to poisons/toxins they receive a bonus of +2 but for anything else they receive a penalty of -2 to their skill.

In the other form, for whatever reason the character only learned a portion or specific variation on a proficiency. For example, the character did not learn Seamanship, but they are expert in Canoeing (having the proficiency Canoeing). In this case, the proficiency cost half the slots. In a cost of 1 the player can either take a second such proficiency or can add a permanent +3 to their skill.

This can have a huge role-playing effect. Your character might know how to dance, but knowing Elvin Dance when visiting them in their own lands could have a huge effect on your party’s standing among them. Being able to cook is great, but being able to cook Ox and Mushroom Stew, just like a dwarf, might impress the king enough to help you out. Specializations should be used to flesh out your character’s past and make them stand out from the pack. And who knows what might be useful at some point in a game…

Got it? Good.

ACQUIRING NEW PROFICIENCIES

As for getting new proficiencies…

I am gonna be a bit general here about some parts, so I hope I don’t lose anyone. When it comes to skills, I do it a bit different than the books. Well, in truth, I more use a combination of the ideas from several of the books over a couple editions.

First off, the proficiencies gained per level (pg 50 AD&D 2nd Ed) are applied. The only modification I apply is that there must be something, in game play, expressed by the player to reflect and justify the new skill. This can be a simple as helping the ranger hunt to get a skill like Set Snares, Hunting, or Tracking, or spending down time with the party priest or mage being taught Literacy. It can also be reflected in things like the party spending a month at sea being a good excuse to pick up things like Rope Use, or weeks travelling with a Gnome caravan to pick up Gnomish. It can be easier than this too; say there is a skill that your character could have learned before game play, maybe even should have had, in the start. If it is reasonable, and I as GM agree, then we call it a skill you’d been working on and finally sorted out.

Second, this is not the ONLY way to get new skills. I like to bend the rules a bit in this area. If enough time is spent (say the examples of the sea voyage and the caravan I made previously) under the right conditions (say a teacher is available, the right conditions exist to learn, enough time is available to the character to develop and practice the thing they are trying to learn, etc) I may well just grant the skill as if trained for it.

I also allow all the skills from all the “Complete Book of…” books to be chosen from by the players, but it still needs to have a reasonable training or instruction opportunity.

On top of all that, I allow players (and by default, their characters) to come up with new skills. If you can think up a skill that is not in the books, could exist back then, and for some reason your character could possess, we can talk about it. If in game play your character studies and learns something that no skill covers, we’ll make one up to cover it.
I am totally willing to allow new skills to be created. You’ll have to justify it and such to me, but feel free to come up with stuff and ask.


“TOTALLY NEW” SKILLS

There are a few new skills I have come up with that are available. Some are ones I think are lacking, others are ones my gaming group has introduced over time as we played and found proper to include. This is by no means an exhaustive or full list. It is a supplement to the existing proficiency listing as well as a guide to the sort of skills you can create with GM clearance. Some are even variations from older D&D books and the like. Note the categories and their relationship to classes in accordance to the rules in Players handbook.

The number in brackets in the number of proficiency slots it requires and the Ability Score with modifiers follow.

GENERAL

Baking (1): This is more than simply making bread; it is the skill of those who bake
professionally. They can make desserts, pies, tarts, cakes, pastries, and the like depending on the culture they are from. Anyone who has the Cooking proficiency can do some limited baking but this skill is something more. INT+0

Cartography (1): This skill allows the character, even without Literacy (though without the ability to read they cannot understand any words on the map), to fully understand as well as create maps. Simple maps can be made and comprehended without any skill check being made. To map an area from memory, or to construct/read complicated maps, a skill check must be made. WIS+0

Diving (1): This is a separate skill from the Swimming skill and reflects the specific skill
in swimming deep underwater unaided. This is a rare and culturally limited skill, and the Swimming proficiency MUST be taken as well if a character desires to possess this skill. As per the rules on pg 122 of the AD&D 2nd Ed Players book, this skill adds 5 feet to the distance a swimmer can dive and surface per round as well as adding the following bonuses to holding one’s breath: under normal circumstances while unencumbered and not exerting self, the character adds three rounds to the time they can hold their breath. They also do not apply the -2 penalty to Con checks while holding their breath until the third round they are holding it. CON+0

Labor (1): This skill can be taken as is to reflect the character having experience in all sorts of manual labour (ditch digging, wall and road building, general construction, farm hand, etc) or they can take a particular subset such as brick layer, road builder, etc) and have that be the character’s skill of livelihood. STR+0

Romance (1): This is a specific type of etiquette that is not extensively covered in that
proficiency. This one teaches such things as proper ways to romance a person in their culture, proper behaviour when advancing romantic ideas, the implications of certain overtures in a given culture, and such things a the meaning of certain rhymes, flowers and symbols in various cultures. It also grants somewhat decent knowledge and experience in the more physical aspects associated with such skills, especially in the areas of kissing and the like. CHR + 0.

Storytelling (1) This proficiency allows characters to know and relay the stories and tales
of their culture and region in a way capable of captivating an audience. Combined with such other proficiencies as History and various lores, the character can also serve as quite a source for information of a people’s past. One can easily make a living off of this ability. (WIS+CHR)/2

WARRIOR

Quick Draw (1): Taken one time per weapon category to be applied to (such as Dagger,
Long sword, etc) this skill gives distinct combat bonuses. On a successful check the character receives a bonus of +2 Initiative bonus with ranged weapons and +1 Init with hand weapons. The character may also use them, without penalty, as if they were already drawn/nocked and ready when the round began. This skill is only usable during the Initiative period of combat. DEX-2.


ROGUE/BARD

Chicanery (1): This is the oratory skill of flim flam artists and snake oil sale beings. A
variation on Fast Talk, this is a public speaking skill where the character spins tales and lies so completely that the audience is baffled with the BS. Uses similar rules to the fast Talk skill, but this one is primarily for public venues such as court, sales roles, and the like. On a successful check the character can sway as many people as three times their Henchmen number (Charisma) so long as the people to be swayed are of INT 10 or lower. Skill checks are at -2 if the crowd is hostile as well as -1 for every two points of INT over 10. On a successful check, the character receives a +2 Reaction Adjustment to their orated cause, or a 1D2x10% benefit in the price of anything they are trying to sell (convinces the crowd the product or service is worth more than it is). CHR-2

Prestidigitation (1): This skill is and evolved application of the various sleight of hand skills and is specifically oriented towards tricks or simulations that appear to be magical in nature. It is most often used to have the practitioner appear to be some sort of mage or lay healer, but it does have practical applications in distraction and misdirection. Flash powders, smoke bombs, and other such alchemical constructs often are applied to this proficiency for even greater effect. (DEX+CHR)/2

Seduction (1): This skill is not about romance as much as flirting, pretending romantic
feeling and physical proficiency in sexual intimacy. This skill is all about using wiles and charm to get what you want from the person you apply it against (usually that “something” is either valuable or intimate). It is both the suggestion of pleasure and actual skill in sexual congress. Note that this is not a casually acquired skill; there is a big difference between someone who is good at swaying a barmaid and someone with this sort of talent. This proficiency reflects someone who has studied and practiced becoming a skilled lover. Common to courtesans, spies, mistresses, some ladies of the night, and other such people. (CHR+DEX+WIS)/3

Seduction Games (1): This is a skill that sort of bridges the Romance and Seduction proficiencies. While it is a part of both the other proficiencies, this one is a focus on the mind games and physical displays used to arouse and titillate. It in no allows the character direct knowledge of the intricacies of seduction, but does involve training and experience in both what titillates and tantalizes as well as how to perform such actions. While the exact nature of these games will vary culturally, examples inhuman cultures include tying cherry stems in knots with the tongue, peeling grapes or dates in the mouth, suggestive applications for parasols and handkerchiefs, and the like. (CHR+DEX)/2

Trap Building (1): Who do you think makes all those things your characters encounter in
the lost tombs and dungeons? Characters with this skill have specialized knowledge in the area of constructing and deconstructing traps. They receive a +10% bonus, where applicable, to the Find/Remove traps skill. This skill does not allow them any great skill in specifically detecting traps; more it grants knowledge of the needs for certain spaces and conditions required by traps and their triggers. This skill is more urban and constructions based than wilderness oriented; a person attempting to make outdoor traps for hunting and trapping in a wild environment will have their traps be at +5% bonus to be detected unless they also possess either the Hunting or some other camouflage oriented proficiencies. INT+1


WIZARD
Comparative Anatomy (3): This is a skill very closely linked to Healing and other arts. In this case it gives the possessor an in depth understanding of how the parts of a living body interact (from a medieval perspective, of course) as well as how the bodies of animals and demi-human races differ case by case. Very useful for healers, alchemists, and other such students of oft forbidden arts. INT-2.

Knowledge/Lore (2 or 3): This is a skill range where the specific area of knowledge is selected at the time the proficiency is chosen. This skill can be taken multiple times to cover different areas of expertise. It covers specific factors not covered by other skills and those which are specific and scholarly in nature. These include certain knowledges (such as Law, specific racial knowledge such as Dwarf Drinking Games, Elf Military Traditions, and the like), certain technical skills (such as Lock Lore, Trap Manufacturing, Automaton Construction, etc), and other such lore based skills (Geography of the Planes, etc). These are the result of dedicated study and unusual access to the subject in question. The nature and rarity of the skill determines the number of slots it requires. These sorts of skills are common among certain specialists and sages.




Ok? Well then, I am sure there will be....




More to Come.