As you know, the original Dungeons & Dragons game has long been out of print. Even if you can’t get your hands on one of the older rule sets, you can still use one of a couple of replacements:  Basic Fantasy or Labyrinth Lord.

You can download the rulebooks in PDF format for free below.

Other Heroes Only authors and I have contributed to Basic Fantasy, and have found the policies surrounding the production of the game to be the most favorable. (Chris Gonnerman, the creator and editor of the game materials, chooses not to attempt to make a profit on it despite all of his hard work.) (more…)

Today Gary Gygax passed away. He was the co-creator of the game we all enjoy so much: Dungeons & Dragons. A lot of us honed our vocabulary, our critical thinking, and creativity due to Gary Gygax’s work. It created communities where we found new friends and were able to keep them through on-going games.

Today is a day to think about how D&D has affected our lives: not just the game itself, but also the multitude of other RPGs that were inspired by the creation of the game. And we should also take a moment to remember the Father of Roleplaying, Gary Gygax.

(more…)

With 4th edition just around the corner, I thought I’d give my impression of 3rd Edition and the d20 system.

Good Ideas

The d20 system has several good ideas that make it easier to understand and more easy to play.

• Positive AC. A larger AC is better than a smaller one makes more sense.
• Magic. I like the idea of the effectiveness of saving throws being based on spell level. This makes more powerful magic inherently harder to avoid than less powerful magic, and it makes a lot of sense. I never liked the way a sixth level spell like Death could be simply shrugged off by a Save vs Death Ray, the easiest saving throw to make.
• Saving Throws. Having saving throws based on “reflex” or other descriptions of how a character may actually avoid a situation is clearer.

(more…)

by BAHUMUTH

Duch Year: 982

The huge saber crashed against the center of the iron sword, throwing its holder back a few steps, and then again in an overhand strike. The tall, plate-mailed knight brought down his steel broadsword down with all his might. The muscular, dark-skinned island-man threw his crude sword to parry, catching the broadsword at its hilt.

The Kikapa island-man, although naked, was very seasoned with his hilt less sword. Comparatively, the knight, mailed in white satin-draped field plate, definitely held the advantage. The Kikapa allowed the knight to come in at him and then fell back against the weight of the knight, causing the knight to lose his balance. He then used this advantage by stopping the collapse of the armor on himself with his leg and then swiped his sword hard against the knight’s head.

(more…)

The purpose of this document is to provide the DM with a system for handling poisons that can be as complicated or as simple as desired. Different ways of handling poisons range from instant death (as found in the Dungeons and Dragons game) and the simple 1 point of damage per round (as found in video games like the Ultima series). These are both very simple, but not realistic ways of handling ALL poisons. Some games have cumbersome charts that still have their limitations. And even with a chart, poisons shouldn’t be completely random. So hopefully this document will help the DM come up with a satisfactory method of handling poisons. This is by no means a scientific analysis of poison or any attempt for reality. This is merely for game play. (more…)

Notes:

• 1 in 20 chance of being cursed
• Hold Person on hit: operates just like the spell, but there is no -2 penalty to save
• Flame and lightning arrows turn into a bolt of flame or lightning when fired,doing 2d6 dmg.
• Leech arrows do 1 hp/round after the initial strike until the arrow is removed or healing is applied.
• Light/darkness on impact: if a creature is hit, he is the victim of the spell, and must save or be blinded.

Here are some optional rules that you may want to adopt in a more basic type campaign (which I find more fun). When deciding on a rule, go for whatever is more fun or will make a better story-line in the game.

Attributes

Even though it may not be fair to my old players, I think I might adopt this system also. Just roll 9d6 for each phsyical (STR, DEX, CON) and mental (INT, WIS, CHA) attributes and then let the players choose where they want to put them. Allow players to trade 2 for 1 between the 2 categories. If you want, you might consider just rolling 10d6 for each category to give a better chance of getting good scores. Also, don’t roll ability checks much, if at all. Too much rolling dice makes the game too random and not enough story. If you can’t base it on a saving throw, you probably shouldn’t roll it. How creatures react to players should be based on how the players have acted, not on a charisma check. (more…)