Friday, April 27, 2012

My Variant of Searchers of the Unknown

Like the regular Searchers of the Unknown, but faster paced, so that you can start the first session in Quasqueton and be in Erelhei-Cinlu by the fifth!

Build PCs
Roll 1d3. Create that many PCs.

1) Choose an armour
No Armour (AC 9)
Leather armour (AC7)
Chainmail (AC5)

Plate mail (AC 3)
(Shields reduce AC further by -1)


2) Roll for hit points
1d8 per level (HD). So, 1d8 for a PC starting at level 1.

3) Choose three weapons, or two weapons and a shield
Small weapon (d4 damage, dagger or sling)
Ranged weapon (d6, bow or crossbow)
Melee weapon (d8, mace or sword)
2-handed weapon (d10, greatsword or polearm)


4) Choose a name and a description
Choose a race, like human, dwarf, hobbit or elf (it has no rules effect, but it adds to the fun in the game). Imagine what he was before becoming an adventurer. Your PC is ready.

Example of a character sheet: Eustace the Useless (AC 5, HD 3, hp 14, Dmg 1d10 with voulge).

Fighting
1) Initiative: Each one rolls 1d10+his AC. The best score has initiative, then each one attack in descending order. So a lighter fighter has better chances to strike first.

2) Movement: Your movement rate equals your AC in tens of feet (indoors) and tens of yards (outdoors).

3) Attack: roll 2d6. If the score is under your opponent AC + your own level, it's a hit. If the score is equal to or less than your level, you may attack again.

4) Damage: When you hit an opponent, roll the damage (Dmg) dice. Deduces the result from your opponents hit points (hp). At or below 0, monsters are dead, and PC's are knocked out. Monsters could kill them easily, but they won't. Instead, they keep them as prisoners. This is just more pulp-like.

5) Rest and bandages: After that, all hit points (hp) are restored back their initial score. After all, hit points reflect the capacity to escape or stand hits. If a PC has been sent below 0hp, he may needs a longer rest, or even healing magic like a potion of healing), because he’s wounded.

Experience
PC's gain 1 experience point for amusing the referee. After defeating monsters, each PC gains experience points equal to the highest single monster's HD minus their own level. A new level is gained when they accumulate experience points equal to the square of the next level (4xp for Level 2, 9xp for Level 3 etc).

Based off of Nicolas Dessaux's Searchers of the Unknown.

5 comments:

  1. Fighting 1,2 &3 are similar to something I've been thinking on. Additionally, I was going to have physical skills/feats (such as sneaking, hiding, jumping, climbing) be the character's AC or less on 2d6. So that a lightly armored fighting man makes sense-balancing performance vs. protection.

    Neat to see someone else's thinking on this.

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  2. I said to myself, "Self, this looks pretty awesome!" Then I read the original and, "Oh...", sprung forth.

    I like bits of both, but had to wonder, why no magic?

    I thought of a simple, '... of effect.' magic system I would want to try with it.

    Basically, you get dx of effect (or is it affect?) depending on the target, maybe plus level?

    Everything in the room, no save (1d4)
    Everything in the room, save for half (1d6)
    Individual, no save (1d8)
    Individual, save for half (1d10)

    Or at least for damaging combat spells. For non-damaging combat spells, I would just go with a DC between 1-10.

    Yep, I'm digging SoU!

    TB

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  3. Oh there is definitely magic, but it is entirely in the form of one-use scrolls and potions. Spells do not have pre-determined effects, and the referee should decide the effect of each spell on the spot, according to what the spell name suggests to his imagination. Example of a spell entry:

    Scroll (Watery Banishment)

    Because magic is one use-only, and there is no "Magic-User" class with unlimited access to sorcery, the referee must stock a scroll or two into every treasure pile. Magic is readily found in the treasure awaiting those who quest into the unknown, and just as readily employed and spent by the questers.

    ReplyDelete

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