Post by Athkethin on Apr 4, 2017 18:21:37 GMT -7
So my Thule group just dissolved, and I'm putting it back together with my sole remaining player. It had been going OK as far as I could tell, and since we all discussed the likes and dislikes of each session immediately following it, I thought I had a pretty good handle on where everybody's brain was. Oh well. Millennials, amirite?
Anyway, I recently bought and started leafing through the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG from Goodman Games, and it has some awesome stuff that I think I will adapt to the next incarnation of my campaign. Specifically:
1. In the DCC RPG, a spellcaster has to roll to cast a spell. Depending on the roll, the spell may fail to cast, may have unexpected positive effects, unexpected negative effects, or may just operate as normal. Each spell in DCC has its own chart of these effects, but I think I'll simplify for a 5e game. This makes magic dangerous and unpredictable, which is missing from normal 5e rules. Previously, I just banned all magic using classes except the warlock.
As a tradeoff for more limited spellcasting, the wizards (for example) can use swords, and are generally less limited in weapon and armor proficiency. I'm cool with that (it as negligible effect on the game in my experience), but weapon-wise it will actually be subsumed by another option I'm going to use (see below).
2. Every adventure begins with a roll on the Carousing table. In DCC I think it's supposed to be every session, but I think that's untenable at times (say, if you left off in the middle of the Tomb of Horrors, I can't see starting the next session with a night on the town). It just adds another layer of entertaining stories and fits the mood of the setting.
Not from DCC, but another one I'm implementing:
3. A character inflicts damage equal to their hit dice. That is to say, a character with a D12 hit die (say, a barbarian) rolls 1d12 for damage any time they attack. This reflects the fact that even when wielding, say, a dinner fork, the muscly professional killer will wreck your day with it far more effectively than the skinny bookworm. I don't allow multiclassing so potential complications from that isn't a concern. Weapon special properties will still apply, as will weapon speeds (I use the optional rule on Page 271 of the DMG) so there will be some point in using different weapons. A versatile weapon will kick up the damage die by one step if used two-handed, which is offset by their slower speed.
Has anybody tried anything similar? Anybody played DCC? What do you think?
Anyway, I recently bought and started leafing through the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG from Goodman Games, and it has some awesome stuff that I think I will adapt to the next incarnation of my campaign. Specifically:
1. In the DCC RPG, a spellcaster has to roll to cast a spell. Depending on the roll, the spell may fail to cast, may have unexpected positive effects, unexpected negative effects, or may just operate as normal. Each spell in DCC has its own chart of these effects, but I think I'll simplify for a 5e game. This makes magic dangerous and unpredictable, which is missing from normal 5e rules. Previously, I just banned all magic using classes except the warlock.
As a tradeoff for more limited spellcasting, the wizards (for example) can use swords, and are generally less limited in weapon and armor proficiency. I'm cool with that (it as negligible effect on the game in my experience), but weapon-wise it will actually be subsumed by another option I'm going to use (see below).
2. Every adventure begins with a roll on the Carousing table. In DCC I think it's supposed to be every session, but I think that's untenable at times (say, if you left off in the middle of the Tomb of Horrors, I can't see starting the next session with a night on the town). It just adds another layer of entertaining stories and fits the mood of the setting.
Not from DCC, but another one I'm implementing:
3. A character inflicts damage equal to their hit dice. That is to say, a character with a D12 hit die (say, a barbarian) rolls 1d12 for damage any time they attack. This reflects the fact that even when wielding, say, a dinner fork, the muscly professional killer will wreck your day with it far more effectively than the skinny bookworm. I don't allow multiclassing so potential complications from that isn't a concern. Weapon special properties will still apply, as will weapon speeds (I use the optional rule on Page 271 of the DMG) so there will be some point in using different weapons. A versatile weapon will kick up the damage die by one step if used two-handed, which is offset by their slower speed.
Has anybody tried anything similar? Anybody played DCC? What do you think?