Chanbara Mahotsukai

Here's a bit more of the new Chanbara draft I'm working on, the Mahotsukai [Magician] and its three profiles (subclasses or kits, however you want to think about it), the Onmyoji, Soryo and Yamabushi.

Mahotsukai [Magician]

Studious hermits, imperial exorcists, village medicine women, enlightened monks and more are all capable of harnessing the powers of magic in the Jade Islands. They are masters of spells and uncanny abilities that set them apart from normal men, yet they are still human rather than a part of the Spirit Realm. While they are less than formidable in physical combat, their arcane gifts allow them to battle creatures and deal with more mundane problems as well.

Hit Die: d6

Bonus Dice: Magic

Level	XP	Att	Spells	Special Abilities
1	0	+0	2	Magic Dice, Profile Ability
2	2500	+0	3	+1 Magic Die
3	5000	+0	3/1	Profile Ability
4	10,000	+1	4/2	+1 Magic Die
5	20,000	+1	4/2/1	+1 Magic Die
6	40,000	+1	4/2/2	Profile Ability
7	80,000	+2	4/3/2/1	+1 Magic Die
8	150,000	+2	5/3/2/2	+1 Magic Die
9	300,000	+2	5/3/3/2/1	Profile Ability
10	600,000	+3	5/4/3/2/2	+2 Magic Dice

Unlike the other classes, mahotsukai gain spells. They begin knowing any three 1^st level spells from their spell list, and gain two spells of any level which they can cast every time they gain a level. They may also learn spells from other mahotsukai or spirit creatures, from books of lore or other forms of research. The details of this will be handled by the GM. How a mahotsukai keeps their spells is up to the player. Maybe they keep a spell-book or a long, illustrated scroll. Perhaps they are tattooed on the mahotsukai's body. They could simply be stored in the mahotsukai's memory. No matter how they are stored, the mahotsukai must prepare spells each day, up to the number shown on the level advancement chart of each spell level. A lower level spell can be prepared in the place of a higher level spell slot, but not the reverse, obviously. After a night's rest, the mahotsukai can prepare new spells.

Mahotsukai gain magic bonus dice (a d6). Any time a mahotsukai casts a spell, they can roll a standard magic die. If the result is 5 or more, the spell is not expended by the casting, and may be used again that day. Only one magic die may be used per round of combat. At first level, the mahotsukai gains three magic dice, plus or minus the prime ability bonus of their profile (minimum one). Expended magic dice are refreshed after a night's rest.

Mahotsukai Profiles

Onmyoji: Onmyoji [Exorcist] are trained astrologers, geomancers and monster-hunters. Those in imperial service work to predict disasters and protect the imperial family from evil spirits and magic, while independent Onmyoji are most likely wilderness hermits or wanderers selling their services to commoners. Their prime ability is Int. Onmyoji may select the Kuge, Buke or Shukyo backgrounds. They gain the Astrology and Geomancy skills for free, and may select any four other skills from their background of choice. They are proficient with basic and classical weapons, and with light armor.

Onmyoji Special Abilities

1^st level: Demon Hunter – Onmyoji gain a +1 bonus to hit and +2 bonus to damage with weapons when fighting demons, undead and spirits. Also, once per day per level, they may spend a magic die to increase their chance to hit and damage with weapons, as if it were a basic combat die.

3^rd level: select either Summoning or View Fate.

Summoning – By spending one magic die, the onmyoji can summon a swarm of tiny creatures or else a number of larger creatures (no more than 2 HD) equal to 1 plus Int modifier (minimum 1) that serve the onmyoji for 10 minutes. Each onmyoji must select one type of creature: furred, feathered, scaled or shelled. Once chosen this cannot be changed.

View Fate – By spending a magic die, the onmyoji gains the ability to see coming future events and react to them. All rolls to hit in combat (but not damage), saving throws and rolls for spell variables may be rolled twice and the better result taken for 1 minute (10 rounds).

6^th level: select either Destroy Undead or Expulsion.

Destroy Undead – By spending one magic die, the onmyoji forces a number of undead creatures equal to the magic die result, with hit dice no higher than the onmyoji's level, to save vs. fire or be instantly destroyed.

Expulsion – By spending one magic die, the onmyoji forces one life force that is possessing another to save vs. earth, with a penalty equal to the magic die result, to leave the host body.

9^th level: select from Impart Spell or Mysticism.

Impart Spell – By spending one magic die, the onmyoji can cast a spell that only affects the caster and have it also affect one plus the onmyoji's Int mod (minimum 1) other creatures.

Mysticism – When using a magic die as a combat die (see Demon Hunter above), the onmyoji can both cast a spell and make an attack with a weapon in the same round, with the magic die bonus adding to the hit and damage rolls as normal.

Soryo: Soryo [Priest] are holy men and women who use their enlightenment and the connection to the divine to power their magic. Some are monks and nuns from remote monasteries, others tend local temples or shrines, while others still are part of a larger sect which seeks to spread its influence. Their prime ability is Cha. While they may come from any class, their religious training usually begins young leaving them with a choice of either Buke or Shukyo for background. They gain the Religion skill for free, and may choose either Leadership or Letters. They also gain any three other skills from their background of choice. Soryo are proficient with basic weapons but are not proficient in any type of armor.

Soryo Special Abilities

1^st level: Inspiring Word – By spending a magic die, the soryo inspires all allies within 30', who gain a +2 bonus to attacks and saving throws for a number of rounds equal to the magic die result.

3^rd level: select either Appeal or Unravel.

Appeal – By spending a magic die, the soryo improves the Reaction level of a single NPC two steps (from Violent to Unsure, Hostile to Friendly, etc.) for a number of rounds equal to the magic die result. This is a charm effect.

Unravel – By spending a magic die, the soryo has a chance to counter a spell that has been cast by a creature or hostile mahotsukai. The result of the die roll must match or beat the level of the spell for the counter-spell to take effect.

6^th level: select either Strength of Will or Warded Spirit.

Strength of Will – If a saving throw is failed, the soryo may roll a magic die and add the result to the save roll as a reaction. If this is still not enough to pass the saving throw, a number of hit points equal to the difference between the save TN and the number rolled may be spent in order to pass the save. If the soryo already acted this round and used a magic die, they may still use this ability but may NOT use a magic die in the following round, or for subsequent saving throws this round.

Warded Spirit – The soryo is immune to possession, attempts to possess the soryo automatically fail. This ability does not require spending any magic dice.

9^th level: select either Incite or Vision.

Incite – By spending a magic die, the soryo causes all opponents within 60' to bicker and argue, causing them to suffer a -2 penalty to hit, damage and saving throw rolls for 10 minutes. This is a charm effect.

Vision – By spending a magic die, the soryo gains true sight, being able to see all illusions, transformations, disguises, secret doors, hidden traps, invisible objects, etc. for 10 minutes.

Yamabushi: Yamabushi [Mountain Ascetic] are priests and priestesses who turn to a secluded life in the wilderness, where they are constantly tested by the elements and nature. This testing and purification gives them holy powers and magical ability. Their prime ability is Wis. Yamabushi may select the Shukyo, Noumin, or Chounin backgrounds. They gain the Mysticism and Woodscraft skills for free, and may select any four other skills from their background of choice. They are proficient with basic and ninja weapons and light armor.

Yamabushi Special Abilities

1^st level: Tested – The soryo becomes attuned to one element (fire, water, wood, metal, or earth), gaining a +2 bonus to saves against spells or abilities keyed to that element. This ability does not require spending any magic dice.

3^rd level: select either Know Aspect or Transmute.

Know Aspect – By spending a magic die, the yamabushi can detect any cosmic forces that surround creatures (yin, yang, the five elements, ki), if it is a spirit creature, and any cosmic weaknesses it may possess, up to a range of 60' for one minute per point of the magic die result.

Transmute – By spending one magic die, the yamabushi can change the energy type (fire, cold, electricity, sonic, force, acid) of a spell being cast into another energy type.

6^th level: select either Guardian or Storm.

Guardian – By spending a magic die, the yamabushi summons a totem animal: White Tiger removes all hindering physical effects; Red Bird restores all hit points; Green Dragon removes all hindering magical effects; Black Tortoise restores ability score loss; Yellow Unicorn restores a number of spell slots equal to your Wis modifier (minimum 1). Each totem may be summoned only once per day.

Storm – By spending a magic die, the yamabushi creates a magical elemental attack (5' radius thunder clap; 10' cone water wave; 5' radius ice burst; 15' line lightning bolt; 15' line wind gust; or 10' cone firestorm) that automatically hits, dealing 2d6 damage plus an amount equal to the magic die result multiplied by the yamabushi's Wis modifier (minimum 1) to all in the area.

9^th level: select either Cloud Form or Resistance.

Cloud Form – By spending a magic die, the yamabushi, with all gear carried, becomes gaseous for one minute per point of the magic die result.

Resistance – The yamabushi becomes immune to one energy type (fire, cold, electricity, sonic, force, acid). This ability does not require spending any magic dice. By spending a magic die, the yamabushi gains resistance to one additional energy type for a number of rounds equal to their Wis modifier (minimum 1).

Mentzer Basic Cover to Cover: Ending an Adventure

This section is just one page, and it doesn't offer a whole lot of insight into the game itself, but it does give a beginning DM a lot of solid advice to help them run a better game.

First off, this picture was really catchy for me when I first read the book. The dead minotaur, the look of wonder on the well-shaven Dwarf's face, the possibilities of what sorts of treasure waited in that chest... It's in the DM's book but it made me want to be a player! And I also wondered about that armor the Dwarf is wearing. The fighter's chainmail is obvious. As an 11 year old with only the vaguest knowledge of medieval armor (there was a cool, illustrated book on the Middle Ages in my elementary school library but that was about it for me at the time), I wondered if that was supposed to be what plate mail looked like? I thought plate mail was like the typical "suit of armor" and had no idea what that suit of brigandine was supposed to be. Well, I know now, of course.

Back to the text. First off, and this one is still important, is setting a finish time and stick to it. Some of my online games recently have gone beyond their normal ending time, and since we're all adults, we can make that decision to keep playing or not (but usually there's Hell to pay with my wife if I'm up to late). As kids, it didn't seem to matter. We'd usually play on weekends or a lot over summer or winter vacation, so with nothing much else to do, we could play until we got bored and decided to go play outside, or watch a movie, or play with action figures or video games, or whatever. And yeah, sometimes we'd have some marathon all night sessions. It was in my 20's and 30's that the idea of setting a firm stopping point and sticking to it really set it, since we had work responsibilities, some people had family responsibilities, and when I was playing with my old Ebisu Group, travel time back home to contend with. Online gaming takes away some of that worry, but it's still a good thing to keep in mind to have a time set to finish the game.

Next, the DM should announce all the treasure found, and let the players sort it out, including, we're told a bit later in the section, to let them figure their own XP awards. I don't think I've ever (or only rarely) done this "properly" and I find that dividing treasure XP evenly for the group works much better at building team spirit. Most players I've encountered also seem to feel that gems and jewelry should be sold ASAP so that the value can be distributed evenly. There's a part of me that wants to play in a game where the players are jockeying for position with loot shares, trying to get that extra GP/XP from each adventure. With the right group of players, it could be fun.

While the players are busy dividing the loot, the DM should calculate the monster XP. There's a detailed set of instructions. I won't go into it, assuming you've passed middle school math class and know this already. It does say explicitly that captured or incapacitated monsters are worth full XP, even if they're later released, while monsters that flee are worth 0.

The section on gaining levels has the famous admonishment not to allow more than one level gained per adventure. Of course, just what exactly is an adventure? Is it the session, even if it's ended in the middle of the dungeon to be picked up later? Is it the delve? (One trip in and then back to town for whatever reason, multiple delves may happen in one session.) Is it the module? It's a bit fuzzy. Also, if you give out too much treasure, and Gnorts the Fighter has 3,999 XP, you know his player is going to want to head back to town and call it a day after the first significant encounter... These days, especially with gaming time being limited, I'm more likely to just say screw it. If you manage to get deep in the dungeon and find some awesome treasure and make it out alive and earn enough to go from 2nd level to 4th, congratulations!

Finally, we're given a truncated version of the Monster XP table, only going up to 8 hit dice. It's handy to have the reference here right next to the sample adventure, so you can do the calculations by just looking through the pages you were just looking at, instead of having to go all the way to the back of the book and leafing through the monster section.

Basic Monsters Set 3 is available!

Well, I guess people were waiting for me to finish the set! Within the past 2 or 3 days, without me even mentioning it on the blog or G+ yet (been busy with special summer classes), I've already sold 3 copies of the new book, plus several copies of the older books each. Sales over the past couple days equaled all the sales I've made up to that point. Surpassed them, actually.

Thanks to those who've picked up my books so far. I hope they come in handy for your games!

I've been living in semi-exile the past two and a half weeks, at the ass end of Busan, teaching classes for Samsung Electronics. So I instead of posting a big detailed thing about Basic Monsters Set 3, I'll just tell you that this book completes the set from the '83 Red Box (knowwatImean?), from Neanderthal to Zombie, with orcs, owlbears, rust monsters, snakes, spiders, wolves, etc.

Where can you get it? Well, click that link on the right side of the screen. ===>

It's only $5 for 37 fold-up paper minis that you can print out to your heart's content (or until your printer cartridge is expended I guess).

I'll be in the U.S. for a much needed month long vacation from next week. I'll try to get the next couple of Mentzer Cover to Cover posts up in a queue to be automatically posted while I'm away. When I get back in August (or more likely when the semester starts in September) I'll get to work on Advanced Adventurers (covering AD&D/3E type classes not in Classic D&D) and Expert Monsters (covering the Mentzer Expert Set critters).  So expect those out over the course of the fall/winter.

Chanbara work restarted!

It's been quite a few months since I last worked on Chanbara. I've got a bit of work-imposed isolation, so today instead of just frittering the day away, I started revising and simplifying things for the game.

For those new to the blog or with short attention spans, my aim is to make Chanbara the OSR game where Akira Kurosawa movies meet Ghostbusters. PCs are samurai, ninja, etc. in a fantasy equivalent of Japan (set in the same world as Flying Swordsmen) tasked with beating back the hordes off supernatural threats that plague the land, and bringing back treasure for the greater glory of lord, clan, temple, etc.

I've waffled over the past, what, three years or so? Should I have a small number of classes with profiles for customization, like in Flying Swordsmen? Or a bunch of distinct classes like in AD&D/3E/5E? Non-human races or not? Things like that.

The current goal is to be as simple and concise as possible. To that end, I've decided to leave out non-humans (I can add them in an expansion later), and only have three classes, each with three or four profiles for specialization. Also, I had an idea for backgrounds that provide some skills, starting gold/equipment, and guidelines for Allegiances (like in d20 Modern, instead of alignment). The idea is very similar to what showed up in 5E, and while I did have the idea before the Next Playtest stuff was released (pretty sure I've still got some files to prove it...), I've gone ahead and taken some other inspiration from 5E for this game. It's still going to be OSR. You could easily use Chanbara characters in a FLAILSNAILS game, although like Flying Swordsmen they'll possibly be a bit higher powered than your average BX/BECMI or AD&D character.

After working up some general notes/guidelines to follow for this revision, I wrote up the Bushi [Warrior] class. Of course, this is still subject to change, but here's a taste:

Character Classes

Select Bushi if you wish to face challenges primarily by combat, Shinobi for stealth and trickery, and Mahotsukai for magic. Each class has ten levels, granting more and more powerful abilities as the PC gains experience points. Each class is given a description, basic game mechanics, a level advancement chart, and details of the profiles that go with that class.

Bushi [Warrior]

Loyal samurai, wandering ronin, peasant heroes, yakuza enforcers, and shiftless mercenaries are all examples of bushi. They are versed in the use of weapons and armors, tough, and effective in combat. Their utility outside of combat is dependent on their background skills and player inventiveness.

HD: d10

Bonus Dice: Combat

Level	XP	BAB	Special Abilities
1	0	+2	Combat Dice, Profile Ability
2	1500	+2	+1 Combat Die
3	3000	+3	Profile Ability
4	6000	+3	+1 Combat Die
5	12,000	+4/+4	+1 Combat Die
6	25,000	+4/+4	Profile Ability
7	50,000	+5/+5	+1 Combat Die
8	100,000	+5/+5	+1 Combat Die
9	200,000	+6/+6	Profile Ability
10	400,000	+6/+6/+6	+2 Combat Dice

Bushi gain combat bonus dice. Any time the bushi makes an attack, they can roll a standard combat die in addition to the roll to attack. The amount of the combat die is added to both the chance to hit, as well as the damage if the attack succeeds. Only one combat die may be used per round of combat. At first level, the bushi gains three combat dice, plus or minus the prime ability bonus of their profile (minimum one). Expended combat dice are refreshed after a night's rest.

Bushi Profiles

Abarenbo: Abarenbo [Rowdy] are typically lower-class strongmen, bandits, yakuza enforcers, brawlers, and the like. Their prime ability is Con. They may select either the Noumin or Choumin background (a rikishi, or sumo wrestler may have the Buke background with the GM's approval), and gain the Intimidation skill for free. They may select any two other skills from their background of choice. Abarenbo are proficient with basic and improvised weapons only, as well as light and medium armor.

Abarenbo Special Abilities

1^st level: Show of Strength – By spending one combat die, the abarenbo's Str bonus is doubled for 10 minutes.

3^rd level: select either Knockout Strike or Vitality.

Knockout Strike – Whenever a natural 20 is rolled to hit with a blunt weapon, or by spending one combat die, the opponent must Save vs. Wood or be knocked unconscious for 1d4 rounds.

Vitality – The abarenbo can spend combat dice to heal damage, healing an amount equal to the roll of the die, plus their Con modifier (minimum 1).

6^th level: select either Rugged or Solid Footwork.

Rugged – Roll one combat die and gain damage reduction equal to the total plus Con modifier (minimum 1) for 10 minutes.

Solid Footwork – By spending one combat die, the abarenbo gains a +2 bonus to AC, TD and all saving throws, and cannot be tripped or pushed for a number of rounds equal to the roll of the die.

9^th level: select either Paralyzing Strike or Strong Willed.

Paralyzing Strike – Whenever a natural 20 is rolled to hit with a blunt weapon, or by spending one combat die, the opponent must Save vs. Wood or be knocked paralyzed for 1d4 minutes.

Strong Willed – Whenever the abarenbo is under the effects of a spell that incapacitates the body or mind (sleep, hold, charm, paralysis, etc.), they may make a new saving throw every round. This ability does not require spending any combat dice.

Kensei: Kensei [Weapon Master] are warriors who devote themselves to mastery of a single weapon. Some are simply dedicated martial artists, others are wandering duelists, and some are elite soldiers. Their prime ability is Dex. They may select Buke, Noumin or Chonin background, and gain the Craft: Weaponry skill for free. They may select any two other skills from their background of choice. Kensei are proficient with basic and samurai weapons (plus their weapon of choice, if it is a ninja or classical weapon), but are not proficient with any armor.

Kensei Special Abilities

1^st level: Weapon of Choice – The kensei gains a +1 bonus to hit and +2 to damage when using their weapon of choice. They do not need to spend any combat dice to gain this bonus.

3^rd level: select either Fighting Stance or Iaijutsu.

Fighting Stance – By spending one combat die, the kensei gains a bonus to AC and TD equal to the result of the die +1 per two levels (rounded up) for one minute (10 rounds).

Iaijutsu – At the beginning of combat, the kense can roll a combat die, which is added to initiative for the remainder of the combat. Also, the bonus is added to their initial attack. If this attack hits, damage is doubled.

6^th level: select either Counterstrike or One with the Weapon.

Counterstrike – When the kensei is struck by an opponent, they may spend one combat die and make a free attack back on their opponent, with the die result added to hit and damage. If the kensei already acted this round and used a combat die, they may still use this ability but may NOT use a combat die in the following round.

One with the Weapon – Whenever a natural 20 is rolled to hit with their weapon of choice, or by spending one combat die, the attack deals normal damage and counts as a tactical attack. The kensei may choose to trip, disarm, push, or any other tactical effect on top of the damage.

9^th level: select either Blade Tempest or Master of Forms.

Blade Tempest – By spending one combat die, the kensei can make one melee attack per target within the reach of their weapon, or a number of ranged attacks equal to the result of the combat die plus their Dex modifier (for firearms, they must have one firearm prepared for each attack). Roll to hit and damage normally against each target, no more than one attack per target allowed.

Master of Forms – By spending a combat die, all damage dealt by the kensei's weapon of choice is maximized for one minute (10 rounds). Bonus damage from subsequent combat dice are not maximized, only the base weapon damage.

Samurai: Samurai [Warrior Aristocrat] are typically high-class warriors who devote their lives to the service of a master, although ronin who serve no master are also members of this profile. They are the most common type of Bushi in the Jade Islands. Their prime ability is Str. Samurai may select Kuge, Buke or Noumin (if recently raised to samurai status through meritorious service) backgrounds. They gain the horsemanship skill and either letters or warfare skills for free, and may select any two other skills from their background of choice. Samurai are proficient with basic, samurai and classical weapons, and all forms of armor.

Samurai Special Abilities

1^st level: Stalwart – all combat dice are d8 instead of d6.

3^rd level: select either Defender or Kiai Shout.

Defender – When rolling a standard combat die, add that value to AC and TD for the round in addition to the normal bonus to hit and damage.

Kiai Shout – When rolling a standard combat die, heal a number of hit point of damage equal to the result in addition to the normal bonus to hit and damage.

6^th level: select either Fearsome Reputation or Power Strike.

Fearsome Reputation – Gain a bonus to AC, TD and saving throws equal to 1/2 level, rounded up, when fighting an opponent who knows your identity. This ability does not require spending any combat dice.

Power Strike – Whenever a natural 20 is rolled, or by spending one combat die, base damage from the attack is tripled in addition to the combat die's bonus damage if one is used.

9^th level: select either Deflection or Greater Kiai.

Deflection – By spending a combat die, the samurai gains a bonus to AC and TD equal to the die result, and also may make a save vs. metal to negate any attack that strikes the samurai that round.

Greater Kiai – When rolling a standard combat die, gain double the bonus rolled to attack and damage, and also force all opponents of 4HD or less to save vs. earth or flee in terror for 1d6 minutes.

Sohei: Sohei [Warrior Monk] are monks who practice combat to defend their temples, monasteries, convents and shrines. Some are instead samurai who have take some holy orders but serve in a lay position in the religion. Their prime ability is Wis. Sohei may select either the Buke or Shukyo background. They gain the Religion skill for free, and may select any two other skills from their background of choice. They are proficient with basic, samurai and classical weapons, and with all types of armor.

Sohei Special Abilities

1^st level: Frenzied Attack – By spending a combat die, the sohei may make one additional attack equal to the result of the combat die, but all attacks that round take a penalty to hit equal to the combat die result instead of a bonus. They gain no bonus or penalty to damage.

3^rd level: select either Piety or Tenacity.

Piety – Spend one combat die to cast a 1^st level Soryo spell.

Tenacity – By spending one combat die, the sohei can prevent a number of opponents equal to the result of the die from closing to melee, disengaging in melee, or moving past the sohei for that round. The sohei also gains a bonus to AC and TD equal to the die result for 1 minute (10 rounds).

6^th level: select either Immunity or Wide Swing.

Immunity – By spending one combat die, the sohei becomes immune to one type of magical attack (from a creature) or one type of spell (yin, yang, elemental type) for 10 minutes.

Wide Swing – Whenever a natural 20 is rolled, or by spending one combat die, the sohei can make an additional attack against an opponent adjacent to the one just attacked.

9^th level: select either Iron Body or Unstoppable.

Iron Body – The sohei takes 1/2 damage from one type of weapon damage. Select blunt, slashing or piercing. This ability does not require spending any combat dice.

Unstoppable – When using a basic combat die, all rolls that round for the combat die, to hit, damage, and even saving throws may be rolled twice, and the better result taken.

Mentzer Cover to Cover: Dungeon Level 1

Third time's a charm, and I'm on my netbook instead of my phone. Should get through this no problem. (fingers crossed)

So, we've finally gotten to the actual dungeon part of the sample/starter adventure. The first thing Frank notes is that the first level has been stocked according to the Random Dungeon Generation Table (later, on pages 46-47. I've seen a lot of blog posts about that little d6 for contents, d6 for treasure table over the years. Like it or hate it, the sample provided here gives a novice DM a pattern to study and analyze if they're into that sort of thing. I sure wasn't as an 11 year old. My early dungeons had something in every room, and often in the corridors, as well. It took a while for me to learn the importance of the empty room.

Next, we're warned about Room #27, the harpy/yellow mold room, which can only be entered once one of the PCs gets to 2nd level. So probably the Thief or Cleric, if there is one in the party (and they don't die). The room is a killer encounter, potentially, much like the warm-up carrion crawler outside. I think I remember Frank saying in one of his Q&A threads on Dragonsfoot that he loves to start off new players with a TPK just so they're warned that such can and will happen.

Anyway, the most interesting bit of this introduction to the level is the advice that the party should be able to easily return to town, rest up, and come back fully healed and with spells replenished whenever they want. It also says that later, when dungeons are farther from town, the party may want to rest in an empty room, to get back spells, and RECOVER FROM INJURIES. Frank says, and I quote, "A brief stay overnight in an unoccupied room may allow spell casters to relearn their spells, curing any badly wounded characters in the morning."

There's no mention of 1 hit point per night, or 1 hit point per level per night, or 1d3 hit points per night. Just that "badly" wounded characters recover after a night's rest.

So the "Extended Rest" that totally heals you in 4E and 5E has its roots right here in Basic D&D. Glad I discovered this. And yes, the interpretation I'm taking from this is not the only possible reading of the line, but it's certainly one that could be drawn from the text.

Finally, there's a list of standard dungeon features.

Now, we get to the keyed entries. And like a normal module, now the map has numbers and the entries match. So we've gone from a barely interactive story (Player's Book) to a more interactive story (players' book again) to a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style game (this book) to a normal map-and-key module format. Well done, Frank!

I'm not going to go through the entries for each room. There are kobolds, giant rats, giant bats, zombies, and some weird stuff in there. The bedrooms are tricky because there's not enough information about them that can be learned by testing to fully make use of them, and there are no clues to them otherwise. And as I mentioned above, even at level 2 the harpy room can be tough.

For level 2, we're given a map (very simple, similar in fact in some ways to the quick digital map I posted a couple of days ago) and a list of possible creatures that might be found there. And we've been told that on Level 1 there were no wandering monsters, but from Level 2 there should be.

Level 3 we're left to our own devices to map out, and given a few ideas for monsters, including a lair for Bargle, everyone's favorite villain. And there's the suggestion that there could be more levels lower down, including portals to other sections and a dragon's lair.

All in all, this is not a bad little adventure with a nice learning curve. There are some problems with the layout of the keep section (level 1), but this is a game, not an exercise in medieval architecture so I can let them slide (although I try to be more realistic when designing castles myself, with lots of functional space rather than dungeony maze rooms, and yes, even as a kid my castles had some thought about what each area was used for, while dungeons were chaotic messes.)

Crap

Twice now I've started the next Mentzer Cover to Cover post, and both times my Android phone (Galaxy S6 if you're wondering) has erased the text when the screen locked as I was checking the pdf on my tablet (Nexus 7).

Screw blogging from the phone I guess. My old S2 never deleted the text like that.

I will try to write the post later, but I will be running the guys through Under the Hillfort Ruins tonight so I might not get to it until tomorrow.

Basic Dungeon Map

Just did a little test run using GIMP to create a very simple dungeon map. This took me less than 15 minutes to make. With a bit more time, and some more practice with GIMP making maps, I should be able to knock out some more complex structures, and add more details to the dungeon. The map I made yesterday for Under the Hillfort Ruins is more complex. It has doors, statues, stairs, and other features marked on the map, along with room numbers.

Feel free to download this, stock it, and use it in your own home games if you like. I'll need to come up with a license* for maps if people would like to use them in published adventures, I guess.

*Note, I doubt anyone would want to publish an adventure with this simple little map. Just planning ahead.
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